When freedom doesn't come overnight
Noah and I were talking the other day about how discouraging it can feel when someone says they accepted Christ later in life, so all their “big mistakes” happened before they knew Him.
But for those of us who accepted Christ young? Our mistakes, failures, addictions, and wrong choices happened after we already called ourselves Christ-followers. And that can feel crushing. Like, Shouldn’t I have known better by now? Shouldn’t I be farther along?
And then we hear the testimonies—“The moment I accepted Christ, I never touched another drink. The cravings disappeared. The struggle was gone.” That’s beautiful, and God really does work that way sometimes. But if we’re honest, it can leave the rest of us feeling forgotten. Left behind. Maybe even unloved by God.
Because for MOST of us, accepting Christ didn’t erase the struggle. We wrestle. We fall flat on our faces. We learn the same lesson again and again before we finally believe He is faithful. Some nights we’ve even prayed the salvation prayer over and over again, just to make sure we “said it right.”
But here’s the truth I keep coming back to:
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Comparison will always steal our joy. No two stories will look the same.
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No matter what your journey looks like—victories or failures—every single step has been with Him. Even in the stumbling, He’s teaching, shaping, and holding on to you.
Your story isn’t less holy because it’s messy. You’re not less loved because your freedom didn’t come instantly. And you’re not forgotten because your journey looks different.
You are His. And that will never change.