"What do you want to be when you grow up?" is a question we hear over and over and over again starting at the early ages of life. I am guilty of having asked this question to many. What does it really mean though? Is this question actually important in the scheme of life? What are we really telling people with this question? What you be…that's not even actually grammatically correct. Who you want to be and what you want to do are the correct forms of that sentence. So what are we actually asking? Are we asking who do you want to be when you grow up or what do you want to do when you grow up? Which is more important? As a whole, most are asking the later. So do you want to be a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, a vet, a pilot, a construction worker, an architect, a writer, a musician, a dancer, etc? Yes it is a completely valid question. It is fun to learn about the interests of others and what they are dreaming about for their future possibilities. I have to argue, however, the first question is far more important.

Who do you want to be?

I want to be a wise, confident woman who has a beautiful faith in God, is connected deeply to the Holy Spirit, loves others, is a wonderful wife, a caring mother, has an adventurous spirit, obedient, is full of joy and peace, helps those around her, prays fervently, and is present in the day to day moments in life. In order to become this person I have to practice and prepare very differently than if I am focused on doing something specific.

Then why do we seem to focus all of our attention on what we will do? Most education is geared toward this. But is that really what our lives are all about? What we do?

I believe that God is far more interested in who we become instead of what we do. Out of who we become will direct the ways of what we will do. What we do is secondary to who we are. God focuses on the heart.

In the Christian world the big question is, "What is your calling?". What in the world does that actually mean?!? Is that really what God wants us to focus on? Yes, I believe that we need to be obedient to what God says when he speaks to us. I know that we need to do the things God is asking of us. But when I look at the meta-picture of the Bible I see God who is interested in who the people are becoming more than what they do. Take Moses for instance. We look at all the things he did…well what God did through him like freeing the Israelites from Pharaoh, parting the Red Sea, writing the ten commandments, etc. Look at who Moses was when he started off this story. He was a murderer who ran away from home. He questioned God. He couldn't speak well. He was insecure. He was not a strong leader by any means. Besides being a child who grew up in Pharaoh's palace, he was not really much. But who did he become? He became a forgiven, faithful, God-fearing, strong leader who was patient, kind, respected, loved, fierce, secure in who he was and utilized by God in so many great ways.

Shouldn't we be more focused on who we are becoming so then God may use us to do the things he wants us to do? The daily grind of becoming faithful, patient, kind, loving, good, gentle, joyous, peaceful, and self-controlled people is what we need to focus on. When we work on those things and become the person God created us to be we will automatically do the things we need to do. God will work through us and guide us toward those things. I don't think we should be focused on calling but instead on who God calls us to be.

Right now, I have no idea what is next for me. I don't know what occupation I will have or what I will do but I do know who I want to be. I know that God is calling me to be present. I know he wants me to be still and notice all of the people that are around me. I know he wants me to pray for people and talk to random people I am standing next to in line at the grocery store. I know he wants me to spend time with him. I know he wants to heal me and help me become more and more the person he created me to be. I am excited about this time. I want to spend this time working through that process of being rather than training for something I may or may not be doing for a short time. Who I become is far more important that what I do.

Who do you want to be?



I know that this is only tangential to what I wrote about today but check out this TedTalk. This 13 year old boy has an interesting and brilliant perspective on life.
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/01/07/this-is-what-happens-when-a-kid-leaves-traditional-education/