When I Grow Up

.... I want to be.....

As a little girl, I was always asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

At some points in my life I knew the answer: "A writer!" "A movie star!" "An olympian!"

Most little kids answers go something like that. Firemen, ballerinas, and singers are all common choices. The world is full of possibility, and it the question is nothing more than a fun game of dreaming.

As kids begin to grow up, however,
the answers become a little bit more serious.

"A doctor." "A lawyer." Not that these are bad at all! Except that sometimes they are chosen for financial stability. 

As kids enter the real world, the question became less and less exciting to answer, because a lot of pressure comes with it. No longer can someone answer on a whim. With the answer must come a lot of strategy and planning: whether the job is realistic, what degree to get, how much time and money it will take, etc.

I have always been jealous of those people who know exactly what they want to be and exactly what it takes to get there.

At different times throughout my life, I have wanted to be a writer, an astronaut, and even a senator. But all for very fleeting amounts of time. I have never been sure. Not even close to sure.

And the older I get, especially now that I am in college, being asked what I want to be gets a little frustrating. I have no idea how to answer, and I end up looking like I have no direction, even though I'm working incredibly hard at everything I do.

Then one day, I realized something. People are asking the wrong question.

It shouldn't be "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
It should be "What do you want to do when you grow up?"
Because what profession we have does not define us. What I do is not WHO I am.
What I'm doing right now doesn't define me. It never has, and it never will.
So, even though I don't know what I want to do when I grow up, I know what I want to be.

I want to be a follower of Christ.

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I want to be an inspirer.
I want to be a world traveler.
I want to be a good friend.
I want to be a hard worker.
I want to be humble.
I want to be an influencer.
I want to be a good example.
I want to be generous.
I want to be joyful.
I want to be selfless.
I want to be successful.

And I can start working on who I want to be right now,
even though I don't know quite what I want to do yet.

Because if I am happy with who I am, it doesn't matter so much what I do.
My identity and worth won't be in that.

I do have dreams, however. Some possible career choices/dreams for me?:

Magazine Journalist
News Anchor
TV Show Host
Actress
Missionary
Non Profit Work
Politician
Writer/Blogger
Olympic Runner...? :)


Maybe one day I'll be on Good Morning America, or maybe I'll be in Africa helping victims of human trafficking. I'm not sure, but I'm excited about my future. And I'm excited about becoming a better person as I grow with God. Everyday finding my identity and purpose in him.

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Being.