Who Are You Supposed To Be?

How many times do we live our lives like we think someone else wants us to live without stopping to think about how God made us and wants us to operate? One of my favorite quotes from Chuck Swindoll is the following:

“You are not who you think you are. You are not who others think you are. You are who you think others think you are.”

There’s a lot of truth in that observation. Have you ever caught yourself trying to be something that you thought other people thought you should be? There’s pressure from parents, bosses, friends, co-workers, neighbors – and sometimes the worst – the church. The pressure feels crushing at times, doesn’t it? You just feel like you can’t possibly be who everyone wants you to be. Have you ever felt that the real you was buried deep down inside, just waiting to be released on the world – but you aren’t real sure how to become that person that God created you to be?

You’re not alone.

Everyday, millions of Americans go to jobs that they don’t like or know that they are not suited for. And they dread it. But “the mass of men go on living lives of quiet desperation,” as Henry David Thoreau once said. They don’t know how to escape so they feel trapped. They’ve given up on believing that there just might be something out there that they are perfectly designed for, and so they settle for living in a way that doesn’t take advantage of their design.

There’s hope. That’s what this course is all about. I want to help you discover (or rediscover) who you are and who God made you to be. We’ll think about what natural talents, strengths, passions and gifts you have and how you can use them for God’s glory.

But let me be honest: It is a process. There are no “quick fixes” or easy answers. I can’t prescribe one simple formula for everyone because each person is unique. People are also at a different point in their journey through life. I’ve had people take this course who were in their early twenties and some who were in their sixties. Some people already know a lot about who they are, and others have not given it that much thought. I don’t know where you are, but I can point you in the right direction and give you some things to think about and pray about that will help you start to take steps in the right direction.