As a teen, I often indulged in fantasies of the Reinvented Stephanie. You know—the me I wanted to be.
In my mind, Reinvented Stephanie excelled in all areas of life, including (but not limited to) friendships, studies, spiritual matters, fashion, and boys. Reinvented Stephanie wouldn’t fall for the wrong guy—she was way too smart for that! Nor would she be content to sit on the sidelines because Reinvented Stephanie had the confidence to shine on the stage. And she certainly wasn’t the type of girl who forgot about a math test, who felt jealous of a friend’s successes, or who was too nervous to raise her hand in class.
I often woke up in the morning thinking today is the day. This is the day I’ll become Reinvented Stephanie! What I failed to acknowledge was the nature of life changes. They don’t happen overnight. They don’t happen by chance. And they don’t happen by willpower alone.
There were three things I needed if I was ever going to make my dream a reality:
- A vision that I shared with others
- Baby steps to accomplish my vision
- God’s help
I won’t make any splashy promises like, “A new you by tomorrow!” but together we can take those shuffling steps that will bring us ever-closer to becoming the person God intends. Have something specific you’d like to see covered in this column? Send me an email!
