“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:1-3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:6-7, 9-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Everything we need to be beautiful, successful, incredible, blessed, trusted, respected, honored, and happy are already in our life. It may not seem like it, but only because we’re focusing on the wrong things. Anything birthed prematurely risks complications. The complications we’ve faced that made us stop believing are simply things that we gave birth to too soon. Still, God was kind enough to teach us a lesson from that journey that made us better for His use.

Don’t take life into our own hands. Control the part of us that believes we know better than Him. Trust that if we don’t have something it’s because we aren’t ready for it. Believe that if it’s on our plate, we can handle it. Stop doubting our strength and testing grace. Don’t do what feels right; do what makes us a better person. That may require us to have a new level of discipline or deeper level of vulnerability. There will be countless things that allow us an escape from our insecurities. Don’t use them. Instead, see our insecurities for what they are: places where love can fill in the gap. Love ourself enough that the insecurities have to become beautiful.

Be patient. Once we reach the destination we have in our mind, we will see that there is still work to be done. Then we will wish that time would slow down long enough for us to enjoy the view. Find something beautiful about life every day. Look beyond the bills, the heartbreak, the dying mother, the absent father, the wild child, and the failed dreams. See the beauty in having another day, another chance. Choose to no longer worship the way things should have been. Praise God for knowing we weren’t ready.

When we start to find our true identity, people will still be looking for glimpses of the old you. Some will be unsuccessful; others will be content with learning the new and improved you. Have a memorial service for those who want to hold us to our mistakes and poor decisions. If that’s all they choose to see, then they shouldn’t be granted access to the blessing that is our journey. They aren’t evil. They’re broken. We don’t have to let them break us too, though. We don’t have to lose ourself trying to save them. Be strong enough.