What God Builds in Us When We Keep Walking

Last Saturday, I attended a church seminar in the city, which marked my second visit to London since arriving in the UK at the beginning of September. That afternoon, on my way back to Kent, I decided to take the opportunity for a quick stroll around Embankment.

Winter has arrived with near-zero temperatures, grey skies, a sunset around 4 pm, and plenty of rain. As I was walking down the high street, with the wind tugging at my umbrella, I suddenly realised something. Something felt different. It was like a brief reflection on twenty years ago and the recent few months, and it suddenly struck me that the weather had not been bothering me in the slightest. Nothing at all.

My mind began to process the contrast between the present and the past, including seven years as a young man in my late twenties, so long ago. That was when I realised that something very significant had changed. Yes, of course, my previous sojourn on British soil was before Christ.

The natural man begins assessing early circumstances. Back then, I was climbing the corporate ladder, enjoying financial security, leasing a home and vehicle in my own name, yet I recall feeling down most of the time. I constantly missed home, and the weather was a persistent challenge. Surely, compared to today, facing an upriver swim marked by a struggle amid a depressed job market flooded with competing applicants, loneliness, and an acute awareness of the implications of an absent father and husband, that period should have been a breeze. Yet I can clearly remember that it wasn’t.

I shared this recent epiphany with a new pastor friend, a fellow South African. He recounted a very similar experience from many years ago when God instantly changed his perception of the UK, and he never looked back.

At this point, I need to include an essential thought for the sake of my precious blood and church family back in SA. This is not me saying I do not miss home or that I sometimes long to pack it all up and run. No, what I am saying is that eighteen years later, my experience of England’s elements and multicultural aspects is different. I see people and circumstances through a completely different lens, a lens which was renewed the day I met my Saviour thirteen years ago.

Christ Changes Everything

Here is the deal. Christ changes everything.

When the Spirit grants new birth, He does not merely modify a person’s outer layers. He creates an entirely new way of perceiving and living. Scripture teaches that the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are spiritually discerned. However, the moment Christ enters a life, the eyes of the heart are opened. What once felt overwhelming becomes manageable. What once evoked fear becomes a chance for faith. Even the environment, the climate, and the texture of daily life feel different because the inner man has been renewed.

This is the supernatural work of sanctification. It does not eliminate every struggle, nor does it exempt us from hardship. Instead, it gradually cultivates Christ within us. Seasons that once overwhelmed us now empower us. Circumstances that previously obscured our vision now draw us into deeper dependence. The Lord transforms our inner world, and through that inner change, the outer world takes on a fresh colour.

The Cost and Beauty of Carrying the Cross

Jesus called this process carrying the cross. It involves dying to old patterns of thought and living by the Spirit. It feels costly, yet it produces something weighty and eternal.

Paul describes this as being transformed from one degree of glory to another as we behold the Lord. The change is gradual, often unnoticed in the moment, yet unmistakable when we look back years later.

That is what happened on that cold London street. The weather was the same, but I was not. The city had not changed, but my spirit had. The Lord has been shaping resilience, stability, and clarity that I lacked in my twenties.

This is the fruit of long-term discipleship. It is what comes from walking with Christ through valleys, disappointments, new beginnings, and uncertain paths. The more He shapes us, the more we realise that our peace no longer depends on comfort or familiar surroundings. It rests on His presence.

The Ache of Separation and the Peace of God

Yet even with the strength God has given me, one reality weighs most heavily at this moment. I deeply miss my wife and children. The silence in a room that should be filled with the voices of my little ones often feels heavier than the weather, heavier than the job search, heavier than any cultural change. It is the challenge that sits closest to my heart. It is the ache that accompanies me into prayer each morning and returns in the quiet moments of night.

But if ever there was a Word that proves itself true, it is Paul’s reminder that when we stay connected through prayer and supplication, the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

I have experienced that peace rise in the very moments when loneliness threatened to settle. I have felt the Spirit steady my thoughts when the weight of responsibility pressed in. None of this comes from inner strength. It comes from remaining before the Lord, staying surrendered, staying open to His voice.

This is the enduring fruit of walking with Christ. It is not a life free from longing or hardship, but one where peace prevails even as the winds rise. It is a life where the Father sustains us while He forms Christ within us. A life where the cross yields endurance, surrender brings clarity, and obedience guides us into deeper joy.

A Question for You

So let me ask you something. What are you facing in your circumstances right now? What weighs on your mind when the day grows quiet? Are you carrying it alone, or are you submitting it to God?

The peace He offers is real. It is present. It is available to every son and daughter who comes to Him with honest prayer.

Bring your situation to Him. Lay it open. He already knows every detail. Let Him meet you in that place and shape you from the inside out.

Christ changes everything. And He can change how you walk through this very moment.

Jacques Munnik