Dan Berry • September 29, 2026
There are things I said years ago that I don’t believe today. There are things I used to do that I don’t do anymore. There are opinions I once held tightly that I have since changed. There are things I once thought were absolutely clear that I now see differently.
Have you found yourself on a similar journey?
I have changed
Sometimes I feel so insecure about the changes that I have experienced; I feel shame and guilt because of what others think and sometimes try to put off on me.
When you hold onto certain beliefs for a long time, it can be hard to let go when they are challenged. It may be easier to hang onto certain beliefs, but if you want to grow you will have to find a way to embrace the fact that all you know is not all there is to learn.
One of the dangers of the Christian life is that we can confuse consistency with maturity. We sometimes think that changing our minds means we are being inconsistent or hypocritical, when in reality, God may be changing us.
The Apostle Paul said:
“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned like a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:11 NLT
Paul understood something important: what was appropriate for us at one stage of life may not be appropriate at another.
I am growing
Growth means we don’t stay where we started.
The disciples spent three years walking with Jesus, and yet they were constantly having their understanding challenged.
- Peter thought he understood the Messiah—until Jesus challenged his assumptions.
- The religious leaders thought they understood righteousness—until Jesus showed them a deeper righteousness.
- Paul thought he understood God—until an encounter with Jesus completely rearranged his understanding.
Peter later wrote:
“Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
— 2 Peter 3:18 NLT
Notice the word grow. Growth means movement. If I am growing, I shouldn’t expect to believe exactly the same things, see everything the same way, or respond to every situation the same way I did years ago. The goal isn’t to come to a place where you think you have everything figured out. The goal is to become more like Jesus.
I was wrong
Sometimes the hardest words for us to say are: “I was wrong.” But perhaps those are not words of defeat. Perhaps they are words of maturity.
It takes humility to admit that we once had an incomplete understanding. It takes courage to say, “I see that differently now.” And it takes grace to recognize that other people may be on a similar journey.
Philippians 1:6 reminds us:
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished.”
— Philippians 1:6 NLT
God is not finished with us. That means I don’t have to defend everything I said twenty years ago. I don’t have to justify every decision I made ten years ago. I don’t have to pretend that I haven’t changed.
I can simply say, “God has been growing me.”
Sometimes we become so committed to what we once believed that we resist what God may be teaching us now. We can become prisoners of our own history.
“I’ve always believed this.”
“I’ve always done it this way.”
“That’s just who I am.”
Protecting our past or responding to our present?
But following Jesus has never been about protecting our past. It is about responding to God’s work in our lives today.
Jesus said:
“If you love me, obey my commandments.”
— John 14:15 NLT
Following Jesus requires a willingness to listen, learn, change and grow.
There may be things I once believed that I no longer believe.
There may be things I once did that I no longer do.
There may be attitudes I once defended that I now recognize needed to change.
That’s not hypocrisy… It’s us refusing to live in a box that someone else created.
Sometimes it’s simply God helping us focus on who He really is.
Growth doesn’t mean that everything we believe today is perfect. It means we remain teachable. It means we are willing to let Scripture challenge us. It means we are willing to listen to people whose experiences are different from ours. It means we are willing to say, “Maybe there’s something I haven’t understood yet.” And perhaps most importantly, it means we give other people permission to grow, too.
After all, the person you are today is not supposed to be the person you were yesterday.
God is still working on you.
God is still working on me.
And that’s good news.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You that You are not finished with me. Give me the humility to admit when I am wrong, the courage to change when I need to change, and the wisdom to recognize Your work in my life. Keep me teachable. Keep my heart open. Help me never to be so committed to what I once believed that I become unwilling to learn something new. May my growth always move me closer to You and make me more like Jesus. Amen.
He has pastored for forty years in Iowa. After pastoring in predominantly white spaces for several years, he began to realize the need to bring about racial healing in the body of Christ. For the last 30 years he has worked to bridge ethnic and cultural divides, a work that has led him into confronting the churches complicity in upholding systems of racism.
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