I’ve been trying to find the words to describe what has changed in me since God called me, and I keep coming back to these verses:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you…”
— Ezekiel 36:26–27

The best way I can describe it is that my heart feels new, like a newly hatched butterfly stretching its wings for the first time.

Softer but stronger. More open and expansive. With the potential to continue growing.

I find it easier to give love and, perhaps more surprisingly, easier to receive it too.

Since welcoming God into my life, I often feel as though I am surrounded by a warm, golden light. Not something I can see with my eyes, but something I experience deep within myself and expanding outwards. A sense of peace. A sense of protection. A quiet certainty that whatever happens in my life from this point on, God has got my back.

There is a joy in me now that wasn’t there before. I catch myself smiling for no particular reason other than gratitude. Gratitude that God never gave up on me. Gratitude that He found me even when I wasn’t looking for Him.

I feel the Holy Spirit actively at work in my life. Time and again, I find myself drawn towards people who need encouragement, comfort, or spiritual support. Often the right words arrive before I’ve had time to think of them myself. When I can’t think of what to say I let the sacred silence sit and wait for God to fill it.

And perhaps most importantly, I have come to understand that the gifts I value most—my intuition, my empathy, my ability to sit with people in both joy and sorrow—were never mine alone. They are gifts from God, entrusted to me to use wisely, compassionately, and with humility.

I am still learning. Still growing. Still finding my feet on this path.

But every day I become a little more certain of this:

God did not simply change what I believe.

He changed my heart. And I love him more every day.

❤️

-Laura