Just gotta be me

Who hasn't wished they were someone else? Maybe not a specific person, but a type: If only I could play basketball. If only I could be an FBI agent. If only I had money.

That's natural. Today, Paul has me wondering if it's Biblical. 1 Cor 7:17-24 is an appeal to us not to change; he starts by saying, "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches."

Paul goes on to talk about circumcised vs. uncircumcised (religious standing) and slave vs. free (social standing). In both cases, he says whatever your condition when you come to the faith, accept it and live it out. He does say that if a slave can gain freedom, "avail yourself of the opportunity," but if not he says don't be concerned about it. It's not a big deal from a spiritual perspective.

I wonder why that is. Belief in the ability and opportunity to transform ourselves is core to the American way of life. We invented the rags-to-riches story, after all. Anyone can grow up to be President.

One point Paul is trying to make could be simply that anyone can serve God anywhere. Don't get hung up on preparing yourself or putting yourself in the right place to serve. Just start obeying God and helping people and telling your story right where you are. Everyone can serve and evangelize immediately.

Another point, I think, is that God designed each one of us to be unique. Our wishes to be something different ignores the wonderful truth (and amazing blessing) that there is something special about us that God intended to be helpful to His people.

All of this is not to say we shouldn't improve ourselves. Developing healthy habits, learning a language, building a business all are ways of using what God has made us to be. Just think a little bit about your motivation.

And consider this: It may be more God-honoring to ignore weaknesses and focus on developing your talents, improving your strengths -- after all, those areas are probably intentional areas of giftedness. If you struggle to be an athlete when God made you a musician, or to try to build wealth when God wired you for teaching, you run the risk of rejecting God's plan for you and trying to go your own way. The obvious exception to that is working on character flaws -- things like anger or addictions are not part of God's will for us and need to be corrected.

It's hard to know what's right, so I guess what I'm really saying is I need to be more thoughtful about it. I can be a great Greg, maybe the best Greg in town; but I'm never going to be more than mediocre if I try to be someone else. More to the point, unless I focus on leading the life that the Lord has assigned, I'll never be more than a mediocre servant to God and his people.