“For who maketh thee to differ from another?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)
You can choose to be different from another. You may not want to follow the same career path as your father or brother. You may decide that what another has chosen is not for you. If your goals are merely human goals you may indeed achieve them. Many by grit and determination reach their objectives.
But if you are wanting to be the person God wants you to be, if you desire godly change, you cannot realize this goal without Jesus Christ. He is the Way to God, and He is the way to godliness.
If your desire to change is for you, to make yourself happier, to feel better about yourself, to make others proud of you, go ahead and do your best. But know that if you succeed, your success will be short-lived. There will always be another reason for unhappiness, there will be more to see in the mirror that you don’t like, there will be more falling short in the eyes of others.
But if you want to change to please God, then Jesus will give you all the help you need. That is why He came – to make us like Him – a child of the Father, who always does that which pleases Him.
If you would choose to be different in a godly way you must choose Christ. He is the difference maker in men’s lives. Apart from Him we can do nothing. Through Him we can do all things, not all things that please us or others, but all things that please our Father in heaven.