"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." — Mother Teresa
We have now made it through the first three months of 2023! Yay!! By now, you might be evaluating progress with the goals you set at the beginning of the year to create postive changes for yourself.
Often, in the New Year, we set goals that are intended to make positive changes in our life. These goals can be anything from a focus on improving physical health or growing in spiritual health to improving relationships and relational health. Goals and growth are difficult for so many reasons. If you’re not pleased with your current level of success, Instead of giving up on the goals you set to improve areas of your life, we encourage you to examine what’s hindering success in making those changes. This post will give you some strategies to overcome some of the inherent roadblocks that come with change and growth.
Strategy #1: Reality Check
Be aware and accept the reality that none of us can make changes in our lives in a vacuum. Our decisions to make personal changes impact those around us and oftentimes that creates conflict. The conflict is a reaction to the changes in the status quo of how things have been done in the past. Sometimes that tension alone is enough to make us want to give up on changing and we think it will never be possible. Yet, there are so many verses in the Bible that in one way or another say anything is possible with God.
"Do not yield to fear, for I am always near. Never turn your gaze from me, for I am your faithful God. I will infuse you with my strength and help you in every situation. I will hold you firmly with my victorious right hand." — Isaiah 41:10 (TPT)
Strategy #2: Invite God in the Process
You were never designed to succeed by gathering willpower, clenching your teeth, white-knuckling & muscling your way through to maintain those goals & changes. God is delighted when you decide to make healthy changes in any area of your life. For instance, healthy relationships honor Him when you allow Him to sharpen and stretch you into becoming the you He created you to be. It also honors and blesses Him to watch as you enjoy the beautiful, unified community that He desires for you to be a part of. When it comes to health & maturing, it was never meant to be about you forcing yourself to make those changes alone. His invitation has always been for partnership. He wants to walk with you. He wants to heal the wounded places that hinder your growth and rob you of the freedom to achieve what you desire.
Take some time to intentionally invite God into your process of change and growth and allow Him to also suggest friends and family who could support you.
Strategy #3: Evaluate the Roadblocks
In almost every situation where you are experiencing challenges and resistance, it is important to evaluate the roadblocks and consider why they are hindering you in maintaining the change. Here are some possible why's:
Oftentimes it is because of previous painful or disappointing experiences that opened a door for wrong beliefs or lies to take root.
Unhealthy dynamics that were modeled for us, unrealistic expectations put on us, or wrong teachings from others, can be a real barrier to sustaining healthy decisions. He never meant for your faith walk to be a checklist, but a heart condition. Cultivating a healthy heart (the place we actually live from) makes all the ‘goals’ or ‘changes’ we want to implement, so much easier.
Heart healing is unto becoming whole-hearted. Heart healing involves asking Him “What are the lies I’m believing - the ones that are causing roadblocks & are standing in the way of me making changes?” One experiential encounter with Jesus, [which comes by, allowing Him into the area He highlights, then inviting Him to join you there to share His perspective] is a game changer!! His truth frees us to operate empowered by peace & Jesus' strength … it compels us from ‘truth’ -vs- shutting us down by ‘lies’.
Strategy #4: Evaluate Your Relationships
But as you begin to make changes it is like the quote from Mother Teresa, change ripples into all areas of our life and thus impacts all relationships we are in. The beauty of having Jesus be a part of the change is that He can help you deal with the changes that occur in others because of the changes that are happening in you. Sometimes you will find that others will be supportive of the changes you are making and would love to be a part of the work you are doing with Jesus. However, other times some of the closest people around you might not want to make the necessary changes to continue in a relationship with the ‘new you’. So what do you do with that?
That is the benefit of doing this with Jesus because as you change, those around you may not be willing to accept your change or be willing to maintain a relationship with you. He wants us to allow Him to help us navigate the new terrain of these relationships. As you get healthier some relationships you are in or habits you have held onto in the past need to be released. Letting go is painful. Jesus cares about your pain.
Strategy #5: Heart Healing
As you begin to release people, things, or beliefs of what you might have been holding on to, which no longer serves you well, Jesus wants to be an instrumental part of navigating every step of the healthy change process. If you don’t know how to invite Jesus into this process, scheduling a heart healing session is the best gift you can give to yourself.
Inner/heart healing is about allowing someone to help, by facilitating your personal experiential encounter with Jesus. The pain and grief caused by the ‘letting go’ of people, things, and beliefs you had been holding onto, which no longer serve you well can be overwhelming, but in that beautiful Divine Encounter with Him, the exchange of letting go of those things to receive the peace, joy, and clarity that comes from the release is … is beyond description.
Strategy #6: Coaching
As you continue to make changes it is important to have support along the way. After you have the intimate connection with Jesus established, it is time for the next step! Coaching is a great way to have someone come alongside you and Jesus to help you walk out the changes. They can help you see things you might have missed and create action plans & accountability. Having a Christian coach is a great addition to help propel you into the life you desire and the freedom that God desires for you.
The INNERROOM is a great place to find heart healing and coaching. Please check out our team of heart healing facilitators and coaches to find individuals that can walk with you on this journey. What will the ripple effect of your life be and will it honor God and make others want more freedom? If you are going to make a ripple, let’s ripple in a way that will change the world for the better!
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