What Are You Becoming?

Every day you are becoming something, whether you’re aware of it or not.

 

Every conscious decision we make throughout our day is turning us into something.

THREE BIG QUESTIONS

When we think about this idea of becoming, the first thing we have to do is define reality of where we are. And so, the first question to ruminate on is: Are you satisfied with who you are today?

Maybe you have a nagging feeling that you could be more than you are. And don’t think about material things at this point…like you’d have more stuff or better things. Think first about your true person inside: What would you become if you could?—maybe more courageous, more risk-taking. Or more stable, more thoughtful, more faithful. More encouraging. Kinder.

QUESTION #2

The second question is a little more complicated: Who—or what—defines you now? We all want definition to our lives, but if we’re honest, we often let other people or circumstances define who we are.

If stranger walked up to you and asked, “Who are you?”, how would you answer? You would likely give your name…but that’s just a tag.

Or one answer might be based on what your current role is, as in husband, wife, student, plumber, CPA, mom.

But does that role as defined by someone else give you real meaning? It might for a while, but not at the deepest level.

In other words, who—are what—are you letting define you? Past failures? Authority figures in your life? A good or bad relationship? Your job? Do any of those give you a real sense of meaning or value, especially if they were taken away?

QUESTION #3

Buddhism is an eclectic religion. Practically speaking, you can be a Buddhist and an atheist. The Eightfold Path is a good list…but at its core, it’s extremely performance-based in order to attain a state of bliss. I’m certainly no expert at Buddhist philosophy—and there are lots of varieties of Buddhism—but the ultimate end is to be rid of all desire, to be desire-less.

Christianity takes a little different approach…and in many ways, just the opposite. And that brings us to the third and last question: Are your desires strong enough?

The atheist-turned-Christian philosopher, C.S. Lewis, once noted:

“…if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. . . We are far too easily pleased.”

Perhaps, in the scheme of eternity, it’s not so much what we want but who we want.

One day, the psalmist Asaph realizes he has fallen into the “comparison trap”: other people have more stuff, other people have nice things, other people have good families, other people don’t seem to have problems. I’m in pain and they’re not—and I’ve tried my best to follow You, God.

He starts getting sucked into that black hole when he suddenly sees his life in the context of eternity while he’s sitting in the presence of God. He soulfully comes to an incredible conclusion:

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.  PSALM 73:25 NLT

In other words, there’s nothing big enough on this planet to satisfy this big desire for meaning, for life, for worth, for love. He realizes this is his deepest longing, a huge desire, and nothing can really fill it but God.

This isn’t just Pascal’s pre-Christian “infinite abyss” longing to be filled. This is the human condition—before and after a salvific experience.

None of us is immune. Leaders, and especially spiritual leaders, be careful of what you’re filling that void with or exchanging God for.

Dave Workman | The Elemental Group

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