The fact is… we can’t change anyone but ourselves. The Good News, however, is that when we do allow God to transform us – it has a significant impact on the people around us. In something called “Family System Theory,” it’s been shown that when one part of a system gets healthy, ultimately the whole system benefits.
Of course, in the real world, there’s often resistance to change from both within and without – even when that change is a good thing. But if you’re the one who’s seeking something better in your life, my advice is to persist. God may very well be working through you to bring healing to many others.
When you actively seek to grow in faith and spiritual maturity, some of the folks in your life will likely be watching to see if those changes are just a passing phase. But once they see how God has made “a mess into a message, a test into a testimony, a trial into a triumph and a victim into a victory” – they’ll soon understand the same thing is possible for them. You will be a walking testimony to the goodness of God – and it will change your world in every way.