You know those "church kids," the ones who have shown up to church with their parents since they were born and can tell you every little detail about any popular Bible story? I was one of them. Peers often called my friends and I anything from "Jesus freak" to "Bible thumpers."

I've attended church with my family since I was a little girl and gave my life to Jesus Christ at the young age of 5 years old. Naturally, us church kids absorbed lots of information through the Sunday school program, which meant we heard similar lessons repeatedly — gleaning new information each time — and could recall every specific thing about Jonah and the Whale when we told the story to people who heard it for the first time . We could even quote Veggie Tales movies like Rack, Shack and Benny, which is based on the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego found in the book of Daniel.

I pretty soon became numb to the information I heard, believing I knew everything about Jesus' miracles, Old Testament narratives, and the Gospel. As a senior in high school, I anxiously awaited attending a Christian University because I felt like I was stuck in a spiritual rut, wanting to grow in my walk with God but not actually seeing any change.

I looked at my friends who consistently poured out their hearts to God and searched for ways to serve both Him and their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Their lives were simply astounding and I considered them role models, wanting to become like them. My best attempts to develop as a Christian did not produce the kind of fruit I anticipated, and my young mind could not comprehend how a believer like me didn't experience the same kind of joy and spiritual growth as my mentors.

I later realized I was actually trying too hard to please God and lost sight of a fundamental component of Christianity — a relationship with God. I suffered from an issue of pride and was a head-heavy Christian. As a result, my heart hardened because I thought I knew a lot of Biblical information and theological concepts, yet never actually practiced them or openly searched for a relationship with God. In addition, I became complacent due to my arrogance and went through the motions, only really worshiping and reading my Bible during the Sunday service.

How did pride hinder transformation from the inside out in my life? As our heavenly father, God constantly pours out love on his children and will not force them to seek him or do anything they don't want to. This includes allowing him to work inside us, change our old habits, and shape us as disciples of the Son of the living God.

My haughtiness prevented me from recognizing that I needed God to change me because I thought I was already a great Christian who was better than my peers didn't grow up in Christian families. In addition, I viewed God more as an authoritative figure rather than a dad who continually watches over and protects his kids. Pride also caused me to judge other believers who didn't actively seek to serve God, when my life was no different because I was not using my biblical knowledge appropriately.

My life looks very different two years later since I have learned that God continues transforming us as we grow deeper in relationship with him, so it doesn't matter how long we have known him . We can always learn new things from God's word, no matter how many times we've read the creation or Christmas stories as kids. Furthermore, we can develop more knowledge about God and strengthen our relationship with him, regardless how long we've remained Christians or how strongly we believe in fundamental tenants of the Christian faith.