God Can Change Me

A few days ago, my husband had the “Oldies” station on the television. Most of those songs put me in a good mood – they’re happy songs and I can sing along. While I was putting on my make-up, I heard a melody that I wasn’t familiar with and when I listened to the words, they threw me for a loop.

I don’t remember ever hearing that song before. I can recognize the sentiment behind some of the lyrics, but there’s one line that really disturbs me. The title of the song is, “Let Me Be.” The artists were The Turtles.

One of the verses of the song says:

Don’t try to plan me or understand me
I can’t stand to be understood
I could never give in to or ever live up to
Being like you think I should
I’ve got some inner need which I’m tryin’ to heed
I can’t take hand-me-down destiny

That makes me sad. Here’s the story of someone who pushes back against the expectations of others. This is the part I can somewhat empathize with because living to please others can be a hard journey. I get wanting to be yourself. But now, look at the words of the chorus:

Let me be, let me be,
To think like I want to
Let me be, let me be
That’s all I ask of you
I am what I am and that’s all I ever can be

This is the really disturbing part of the song. To think that a person is what he/she is and that there is no hope of ever changing. That’s just not consistent with what God tells us in various Scriptures.

Consider:

2 Corinthians 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 43:19 – Behold, I will do a new thing.

Hebrews 13:20-21 - Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

I am so grateful to know that God isn’t finished with me yet. Jesus gave His life on the cross so that I don’t have to be held hostage by the thought that “I am what I am and that’s all I ever can be.” He’s working in and through me to make me more like His Son, Jesus Christ. I can change; there is great hope for my future when I walk with my Lord.

Isn’t God good?!