What do you want to be when you grow up?

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

It’s a question we’ve all been asked. For me, when I was a kid, it wasn't "pastor" or "husband." It was Roger Staubach, the legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Why? Because he seemed to have it all. He had a great position, he played a game he loved, and everyone adored him.

Looking back, my childhood dream was built on three lies that get in the way of us becoming who God designed us to be: We are what we have. We are what we do. We are what others think of us.

These lies are powerful. They can pull us away from being disciples of Jesus and make us disciples of the world. As author Dallas Willard put it, the difference between Christians and disciples is simple: Do we know about God, or do we live with God?

We become like those we live with, not just those we know about. When we live with God, we start to become like Him. And that’s the journey we’re on.

Chosen and Loved

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is an incredible roadmap for this journey. He makes it clear that we are unique people with a unique purpose, on a unique path with unique partners, all powered by a unique power. This is the Gospel of Jesus!

He starts with a powerful truth: "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes." (Ephesians 1:4)

Think about that for a moment. Before you had a name, before you took your first breath, God chose you. He didn't have to; He wanted to. It brought Him great pleasure to adopt you into His family. He looks at you not through the lens of your mistakes, but through the perfect holiness of Jesus. He sees you as "without fault."

How often do you beat yourself up with shame? That mud-bog of sin can make you feel stuck. But Jesus came to pull you out of it. He took on your sin so you could be made holy.

Part of the Family

Our culture is filled with an identity crisis. So many of us feel like orphans, trying to find a place to belong. But the truth is, if you are in Christ, you have a family. You have a place. You are a son or a daughter of the King.

Being part of God’s family gives you a safe space to fail and strong arms to help you up. It changes everything about how you see yourself and how you live. You are not a black sheep; you are chosen.

God's grace always flows to the lowest spots, to the places that need it most. You don't have to earn your place. You just have to receive the joy of His salvation and the incredible truth that you are loved, chosen, and adopted.

So, let's live in that truth. Let's see ourselves as God sees us, and in doing so, we will become more and more like Jesus.