The Walls We Build 

I grew up mostly alone, with no one to teach me the nuances of life. Like many, I picked up lessons from bad experiences. My drive was triggered when others belittled or discredited me—including my parents. To survive,I built walls so I wouldn’t get hurt again, learning slowly that acceptance heals.

Those negative comments fueled a fire in me to do the opposite of what they said. I wanted to prove them wrong. This process turned me into someone with firm opinions and a black-and-white view of the world. I created the power to change my life so I wouldn't have to depend on their words anymore.

The Struggle for Control 

While this protected me, it also created rigid expectations. I built a standard for how I wanted to interact with people, and I used to argue a lot—mainly when their opinions differed from mine.

I realized something uncomfortable: I’m not always good at understanding people who are different from me. Different values. Different backgrounds. Different beliefs. There were moments when I felt frustrated. I wanted people to think like me, see things the way I do, and act as I do. My curiosity often took over, and I questioned things to the point where people thought I had an agenda, even when I didn't, forgetting that acceptance heals.

The Shift 

But things are about to change. I realized I can’t change people; only God does.

One of the quiet miracles God worked in me this year was not changing my circumstances, but changing my heart. God gently stopped my need to control—not with judgment, but with truth. He seemed to say, “Christine, I accepted you long before you had it all together”.

That sentence hit deep. God didn’t wait for me to be right, holy, healed, or wise. He accepted me as a sinner. As someone still learning, still growing, and still flawed. And yet… fully loved, reminding me again that acceptance heals.

Grace Over Judgment 

This year, God taught me that acceptance is not agreement. Understanding is not approval. Love does not require sameness.

To accept others the way God accepts us means:

• Choosing grace over judgment.
• Curiosity over assumptions.
• Humility over superiority.
• Love over control.

It means letting go of the need to “fix” people unless they are willing. It means honoring their journey—even when it’s different from mine.

The Freedom of Surrender 

This was not easy. It required dying to pride, letting go of expectations, and softening my heart. But in that surrender, something miraculous happened: I became freer.

Because when you stop trying to change people, you make room to truly love them. And love—real love—is always a miracle.

Keep me different, God. I don’t mind being left out, as long as I am walking in Your love.