Putting off the old, and on with the new.
The challenge of putting off the false self is about striving and straining to discover the man you were created to be under all the layers of pain and discomfort in your life. As you are “becoming,” you will find strengths you didn’t know you had and weaknesses that transform your heart and mind into a courageous man of integrity who knows how to walk away from evil and walk the way of a righteous man. You will find the courage to be vulnerable and discover the truth that sets you free. This is not about winning, losing, relapsing, or slipping; it is about courage and trust to show up and do the right thing when you don’t know or cannot predict the outcome. Because someone out there loves you and believes in you. Despite the sinners we are, Jesus holds our hearts, just as He has for many before us and will do for many after us.
As you embark on this recovery and healing journey, finding the lost parts of you, I hope that you want to heal the broken parts in your life and help your partner heal. You will begin to experience freedom from the bondage that trapped you into believing lies. Stay in a place of curiosity about how all this works and develops: embrace your recovery work, trust in yourself, and know you can help her heal.
Only you can regain control of your life and choose to be a man with dignity and integrity. You won’t want to return to the old because you matter; no matter how badly we’ve messed up, we matter, and God knows this very well.
The Velveteen Rabbit tells us that those who break easily are not the overcomers who endure life’s trials with twists and turns that come up like a spiraling tornado out of control. Going through trials and tribulations teaches us what redemption looks like when we can accept, learn, and grow through it, unlike running from ourselves and using countless coping behaviors to cover the pain. Having endurance in suffering without groaning and complaining is finding our new selves’ need to redeem what was lost. What we become in the process of “Becoming” reflects the work it costs to peel off the old and put on the new.
