I try and try and try and fail. How many times do I have to try to get it right?
You my friend, are not alone. People ask this question everyday. At times, it seems like no matter how often we try — to change, to be different, to develop new habits — we fail. When I consider this struggle, I think of some of the lyrics from a song by Tenth Avenue North, “Hold My Heart.”
How long must I pray, must I pray to You
How long must I wait, must I wait for You
How long ’till I see Your face
See You shining through
I’m on my knees
Begging You to notice me
I’m on my knees
Father, will You turn to me, yeah?
If there’s no other way
I’m done asking why
So many questions without answers
Your promises remain
I can’t see but I’ll take my chances
To hear You call my name
Hold my heart
Could You hold my heart?
Hold my heart
This song to me expresses our crying out to God about trying over and over again and failing. We all wonder, “How long will I have to try, wait, pray, beg?”
The fact that you are asking this question, and that you are seeking help, demonstrates that you ARE trying to change! The Christian walk of life is a daily walk! Everyday we have to come to God and ask him to help us walk in His ways.
And yet on the other hand, I wonder, are you really trying? This may come off as harsh, but maybe you are trying to “walk the talk” from a textbook standpoint. You pray, and go to church, and try to be good, however, what other aspects of life may be holding you back? Are there things you need to change in order to actual help you try? Maybe you go to church but you spent the night before partying with a not so great group of friends? Or are you reading / watching bad shows, movies, books, that continue to let the devil into your life.
You need to be 100% open to trying to change while not clinging to another way of life or habits that don’t line up according to God’s way (2 Timothy 3:16). By God’s strength and power working in us, we can develop new habits!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Natalie
Natalie considers herself a global nomad, having lived in six different states and four different countries — Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Russia (Siberia), and Paraguay. She also has attended almost every kind of school imaginable: internet, russian, MK, international, private, public, boarding, and homeschool. As a result, Natalie loves interacting with people of different cultures and nationalities. Her passion is to interact with different kinds of people, speak their languages, and set a godly example to their lives. One of Natalie’s favorite verses is Revelation 7:9, “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” She finds it comforting to know that people of every nation with join together with God.
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