You Don't Need Permission to Become Her
Embrace Your Transformation: Stop Seeking Validation and Start Walking in God's Purpose
You Don't Need Permission to Become Her
There comes a moment in a woman's life when she has to stop asking, "Do they see me? Do they understand me? Do they accept me?" and start asking a different question:
"Do I believe what God says about me?"
Because sometimes the greatest thing standing between us and the woman we are becoming is not our circumstances. It is our need for validation.
We want people to understand our choices. We want them to recognize how much we've grown. We want them to acknowledge our transformation and perhaps even apologize for the ways they hurt us.
But here is the freedom I have discovered:
You don't need their validation to become who God created you to be.
You don't need everyone to understand you.
You don't need everyone to accept you.
And you certainly don't need everyone to agree with the direction your life is taking.
Some people will only remember who you used to be. They will continue to define you by your mistakes, your failures, your heartbreaks, your divorce, your disappointments, or the version of you they knew years ago.
Let them remember.
You don't have to go back and convince them that you've changed.
Keep moving forward.
Some People Are Only Meant for a Season
One of the hardest lessons we learn as we grow is that everyone who enters our lives isn't necessarily meant to remain for a lifetime.
Some people are there for a season.
Some relationships teach us.
Some relationships stretch us.
Some relationships reveal us.
And, yes, some relationships hurt us.
But just because someone was part of your story doesn't mean they are supposed to be part of every chapter.
We have to learn how to release people without allowing bitterness to take up residence in our hearts.
That doesn't mean what happened didn't matter.
It means it no longer gets to control where you're going.
I don't have to dwell on the people who want to keep me in my past when God is calling me into my future.
I am becoming her.
The woman who prays differently.
The woman who thinks differently.
The woman who knows her worth.
The woman who has boundaries.
The woman who no longer compromises herself just to be accepted.
The woman who can walk away without needing to explain herself to everyone.
The woman who can forgive without reopening doors God told her to close.
The woman who can look at her past and say, "That was part of my story, but it is not the end of my story."
Prayer Changed Me
I cannot talk about becoming her without talking about prayer.
Because prayer changed me.
Prayer didn't simply change what was happening around me. Prayer changed what was happening within me.
It changed my perspective.
It strengthened my faith.
It gave me wisdom when I didn't know what to do.
It gave me peace when I couldn't control the outcome.
It taught me how to surrender what I could not fix and trust the One who could.
There were things I thought I needed people to fix that only God could heal.
There were questions I wanted people to answer that God answered through prayer.
There were doors I wanted to force open that God gave me the wisdom to leave closed.
Prayer can change the entire trajectory of your life because prayer changes the person who is walking through it.
When I began looking upward instead of constantly looking backward, something changed.
My faith elevated me.
I began to understand that my future did not have to be dictated by my history.
My disappointments did not have to become my identity.
My pain did not have to become my personality.
And my past did not have to have the final word.
God does.
Stop Waiting for Permission
Maybe you've been waiting for someone to give you permission to start over.
Permission to dream again.
Permission to love again.
Permission to lead.
Permission to change careers.
Permission to pursue your purpose.
Permission to walk away.
Permission to become confident.
Permission to take up space.
Permission to finally become the woman you've been praying to become.
Let me remind you:
You don't need permission.
You need courage.
You need faith.
You need obedience.
And sometimes, you simply need to say, "Yes, God."
Because everyone isn't going to celebrate your growth.
Everyone isn't going to understand your decisions.
Everyone isn't going to recognize the woman you're becoming.
And that's okay.
You weren't created to live your life seeking the approval of everyone else.
You were created to fulfill what God placed inside of you.
Become Her Anyway
Become her anyway.
Become her when they don't understand.
Become her when they underestimate you.
Become her when they only remember your past.
Become her when nobody is clapping.
Become her when the journey is uncomfortable.
Become her when you have to start over.
Become her when you have to walk alone for a season.
Become her when you are still healing.
Become her when you're still learning.
Become her when you're afraid.
And most importantly, become her while giving God all the glory.
You don't have to become someone else to be worthy.
You don't have to perform for acceptance.
You don't have to prove your worth.
You don't have to retaliate against those who hurt you.
Your greatest response can simply be growth.
Live.
Heal.
Pray.
Grow.
Love.
Dream.
Serve.
Shine.
And keep looking forward.
Because there is something powerful about a woman who has stopped looking for permission and started walking in purpose.
She isn't bitter.
She's free.
She isn't stuck in what happened.
She's looking toward what God is doing.
She isn't obsessed with who left.
She's grateful for who stayed and trusting God with who comes next.
She isn't trying to prove that she's different.
She knows she is.
And she isn't looking backward for validation.
She's looking upward for direction.
So, woman of God, keep becoming her.
Keep praying.
Keep believing.
Keep growing.
Keep healing.
Keep shining.
Keep walking boldly into every place God has called you.
You don't have to convince everyone.
You don't have to explain everything.
You don't have to carry yesterday into tomorrow.
You are allowed to move forward.
You are allowed to become.
And you are allowed to become her without apology.
Because the woman God is calling you to become doesn't need permission from people. She needs the courage to say yes to God—not to them.
Keep Looking Up
Coach Bulinda Wright
KeepLooking Up with B. Wright-Jones, LLC
