Another new year has begun, and many are focused on trying to keep New Year's resolutions. But before long, many will give up in disappointment and feel like a failure again.

Change is a good thing. We all need to be healthier and more fit. We need to be better disciplined to replace bad habits with good ones. We need to draw closer to God and strengthen our relationships with Him and others. There are goals we've ignored far too long. We could all stand to be kinder, more loving and joyful, and a bit more patient with ourselves and others.

Yes, there are changes we should work at to become better people. But many feel they need to change drastically to become someone they were never meant to be. They believe they could never be good enough, and strive to become someone others told them they should be. But God does not want us to be anyone other than whom He designed us to be.

Each of us has been purposefully created to be specifically who we are. God created us in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27) and built into us all we would need to accomplish the plans and purposes He designed us for. It's all in there, our true selves, who we are meant to be, buried under all the years of layers that needs to be removed.

Just as with an onion, before we cut it up for added flavor in our cooking, we must peel off the outer protective layers that are discarded. Many of us have wrapped protective layers around our hearts. We've built walls to keep out any more pain. But these layers also keep the real us trapped inside.

Many times the layers that need to come off are lies that others, and especially the enemy of our souls, have told us about who we are. We begin to despise ourselves based on those lies we've believed. But as we seek the truth of who God says we are and apply it to our lives, those layers will begin to fall away and our true selves will emerge.

When a sculptor begins to work on a piece, he first envisions the final creation. He keeps that vision before him as he slowly and carefully begins to chip away every piece that needs to go. It may take a while, but finally the day comes when he is ready for the unveiling, to show the world the masterpiece he has envisioned and created.

That is exactly what God is doing in our lives. He doesn't want us to change ourselves into someone else. He wants us to become more fully whom He envisioned and created us to be. He continues to help us chip away at the lies and remove the layers that keep us enslaved. He is anxious to unveil the true child of God within, the one He knows is in there. Ask Him to help you, for God is faithful to bring to completion that which He has started in our lives.

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 482-5300.