Created

One of the hardest things to do is to figure out what you want to do when you grow up. Life has so many choices. There are so many things I am interested in. I am just not sure what I really want to do when I finally grow up, but I suppose that I better start thinking. In just a few weeks I am going to hit the big 4-0, that magical age when you are supposed to be grown up, at least I think that is the age. Or is it the big 5-0? Regardless, as the day nears, my mind turns more and more to things I have never thought of before, grown up things.

As I near forty, my mind has started to turn to things like what I want to hand off to my children. I have started to ruminate on what, if any, positive impact I might have upon my friends and my community. I have even begun to think of my life in terms of the ripples I will create or the legacy I will leave. Basically, I have started to think of the impact, if any, I am going to have upon the world. If I am going to make any impact, I suppose I better figure out what I am going to do when I grow up.

What is interesting is that as I reflect on my life, I have one overarching desire. I want to make the world a better place. I am not foolish enough to think I can make the whole world better, but I am wise enough to know that I can make a difference in my own sphere of influence. That is enough for me. Then again, don’t I have to figure out what I am going to do? It seems that this “what am I going to do?” question keeps coming back to the forefront of my mind. Somehow I have gotten it into my head that I have to find a career, a job, a task that is perfectly fit for me, or maybe, perfectly designed to make the biggest impact on my world. In other words, if I don’t do the right thing, then I won’t be able to change my world in any positive manner.

Somehow my impact on the world has gotten equated with my position or place in the world. Frankly, this equating has been a bit disheartening. The positions of influence in this world are limited and I haven’t had any calls inquiring as to my availability. Somehow I don’t think they are going to come anytime soon. So does that mean that I can’t do something of importance? Does my lack of position in some way impact my influence? The world around me seems to think so, but I am growing less and less inclined to believe so.

What I am starting to understand is that my position in this world is less important than my willingness, my willingness to be the person God created me to be in whatever position I find myself. You see, every position has influence. The only difference between positions is the size of the sphere of that influence, but the influence is the same. The question is not about how to find the right position but how to be a person of influence in the position where I now am. Being a person of influence is as simple as being the person God created us to be.

God created us all to be people of influence. He made us to make something of this world, to live and move and be in a way that makes it more beautiful (Genesis 1.26-28). Somehow in living in this way, even in our own limited spheres of influence, we are being most true to ourselves, most true to whom God created us to be. Thus, changing this world is not about a select few of us finding great positions of power, but each of us being great in the positions we find ourselves. Imagine a world in which each of us sought to be the person God created us to be, the person we were meant to be. Imagine a world in which we did not worry about where we were but about being true to who we were regardless of where we were. What might happen then? Well. . .I would hazard a guess that the world would change. . .and we might just might stop asking what we want to do when we grow up.

A fellow traveler,

Blake

What’s my next step?

We encourage you to consider engaging in the following as a way of handing off faith in your family.

Plan a service activity: God made us to make something of our world. As a family, consider planning an activity in which you might act upon this truth. This activity could be as simple as planting a tree, cleaning a neighbor’s yard, or it might be more complex like engaging in a short-term volunteer project. Be sure to chat before and after your family activity about the reasons behind your service. You are serving because God has called us to engage our world in positive, redemptive ways (Ephesians 2.10).  

We encourage you to consider engaging in the following as a way of deepening your own faith.

Memorize and Meditate on Ephesians 2.10: God made you to make something of your world. He has enlivened and called you to this in and through your relationship with Christ. This week consider memorizing and meditating upon Ephesians 2.10 as a way of opening your life to God. You might consider setting aside time to take a walk outdoors, using the time to meditate on this verse, making room for God to speak to you, revealing how he might be calling you to make something of your world.