New Creation

“You have not changed, and you will never change, you can’t change, you are crazy, evil, and no good.”  

“I'm happy your life is different. But honestly, it doesn't change anything for me, and I can't trust that things will be different than they used to be.  Not with you.”

I received both those statements not too long ago via email and text. I remember reading those words the first time, and boy did they sting!  Not just because they are harsh words but because I believed them…almost.  But I knew better because I was part of a new story.  See this crazy awesome thing happens when you accept Christ; you actually DO become a NEW CREATION!  The proof lies in my favorite verse:

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.

One of my favorite people, Pastor Nathan Kroll, recently compared this verse to a butterfly in one of his sermons.  He said “When a person comes to know Christ, it says that they become a new creation. The word that it uses for new creation, is the word that we use, Metamorphosis; for when a caterpillar changes into a butterfly.  I don’t know if you know how that process works, but when a caterpillar changes into a butterfly they change species.  It goes from being one thing to an entirely different thing.  It’s not just a step in the growth process it changes completely, 100% becomes something else. That’s what that means when it says new creation.”

You ever get yourself on an amazing journey, like, you just get going and pick up momentum and then somebody says…”um no I don’t think so you can’t do that” “you are not capable” or “ you cannot change?”  I’m here today to tell you that you 100% can NO MATTER WHAT anyone else has to say.  See I had two choices when I got those text and emails telling me it wasn’t possible. I could either, 1) take it to heart, believe it and stop…let the lies and hurt become me, and never reach my full potential. Thus, letting other people dictate who I am and what I become. Or I could, 2) shed a couple tears… (I’ll be honest, those words hurt, and they hurt a lot! So yes I did cry a little) Then, dry my eyes, pick myself up and seek after the truth! Of course I chose number two! I let what God says about me dictate who I am and what I become and he says…I AM A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST!

Almost exactly a year ago today I was in a very different place.  I had lost my big corporate sales job, was working in a bridal shop at very low pay with no benefits, I had to borrow my mom’s car because mine had been repossessed, and had just gotten out of a very toxic relationship and had to find a place to live on my own.  I was lost, scared, pretty much hopeless, and felt worthless inside and out.  I really, really, really wanted to lie down and cry about it all. In fact I did at first. I laid down on the floor and begged God for his mercy, not really even understanding what it was, I actually was begging for him to fix my broken relationship thinking that was the answer. Boy oh boy, am I glad he knows better than I!  Turns out getting me out of that toxic situation was EXACTLY what I needed! And I wouldn’t have it any other way! I have my SELF WORTH!  And I found it all in my Savior Jesus, when I accepted Him, just as it says…I became new, different, better…ME. 

It wasn’t easy and I had to work through a LOT of junk.  There were moments when I so badly wanted to turn around and give up but with the Holy Spirit in me it was all possible! It is so amazing to me how all I did was accept Jesus into my heart and all of a sudden I started thinking different, wanting different things, and having more motivation and drive than ever before….And I have only just begun! This is just the tip of the iceberg, in one area of my life. Everything about me has changed and is different. I have spread my wings and this butterfly is flying!  

So what do I think about those harsh words now? I DON’T think about them except to say they do NOT matter. All I know and all that matters is what God says about me and what he wants for my life and from here, man it’s looking good!

Where are you today? Are you a butterfly?  Or is someone holding you down with their judgments and opinions? Or even worse are you letting your own thoughts about yourself and your past keep you from becoming something new?  If you are struggling or have a butterfly story of your own, and want to share please comment or send me an email. Would love to chat it out with you!

Blessings!

XOXO

Jes

For Further updates on my life as it has continued to change see  blog posts:
I Am Changed and LET GO and LET GOD