Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, that’s just the way I am”? Maybe you’ve said it yourself. “I’ve always been impatient. That’s just the way I am.” “I’ve always had a temper.” “I’m a worrier.” “I’ve always been negative.” “I speak my mind whether people like it or not.” “I get offended easily.” “I’ve always struggled with jealousy.” “I get anxious and emotional when things go wrong.”
Sometimes we say these things almost as though they are permanent personality traits that simply have to be accepted. Before we knew Jesus, maybe that made sense. We developed habits, attitudes, reactions, and ways of thinking over many years. Some came from our upbringing. Some came from difficult experiences. Some simply came from repeatedly responding to life the same way.
But when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, something changes. God doesn’t merely forgive us and then leave us exactly as we were. He gives us His Holy Spirit and begins transforming our lives from the inside out. “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
That means Christians have to be careful about continually saying, “That’s just the way I am.” God loves us exactly where He finds us, but He loves us too much to leave us there.
Paul describes this transformation beautifully in Ephesians. He tells believers to “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life” and instead “put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” Ephesians 4:22,24 (NLT) Notice those words: put off and put on.
There are things God wants us to leave behind and new behaviors He wants us to embrace. The Holy Spirit helps us recognize both. Maybe the old you was impatient. But instead of saying, “That’s just the way I am,” begin saying, “God is teaching me patience.” Maybe you’ve always worried. Instead of saying, “I’m just a worrier,” begin learning to cast your cares upon the Lord and trust Him. Maybe you’ve had a quick temper. Don’t make it your identity. Begin believing, “The Holy Spirit is helping me become gentle and self-controlled.”
Maybe you’ve always been critical, easily offended, selfish, fearful, harsh with your words, or unwilling to forgive. Those things don’t have to define the rest of your life. The fruit of the Holy Spirit reveals what the new you should increasingly look like: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
We don’t change simply by gritting our teeth and trying harder. We change by reading God’s Word, believing what He says about us, praying for His help, listening to the Holy Spirit, and then intentionally practicing what He teaches us. At first, the new response may feel unnatural because the old response has been practiced for years. But keep practicing the new one! When impatience rises, practice patience. When fear comes, speak God’s promises. When anger rises, slow down and choose gentle words. When offense comes, choose forgiveness. Over time, what once seemed unnatural can become your new way of living and saying!
So maybe it’s time to retire the words, “That’s just the way I am.” You are not limited to who you used to be. Jesus has given you a new life, and the Holy Spirit is working within you to help you become increasingly like Him.
Colossians 3:10 (NLT) “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.”
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that through Jesus I am a new creation. Help me recognize the attitudes, habits, words, and reactions from my old life that I need to leave behind. Holy Spirit, teach me through Your Word and help me put on the new nature You have given me. Help me become more patient, loving, peaceful, kind, gentle, forgiving, and self-controlled. I refuse to settle for saying, “That’s just the way I am.” By Your grace, I am becoming more like Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
