My Authentic Self

Our culture says I can be anything I want to be, but God says I was made with a specific purpose in mind. If I am not being what I was made to be, what am I? You can use a car as a planter, but cars were not made to be planters. A car being used like that is not living up to its full potential, and no one would do that to a car unless it was broken, unless it could no longer be what it was made to be.

Even the shiniest toaster makes a pretty bad mirror. You could use it as a door stop, but that’s not what it’s for. Maybe you could use it to store bread, but doesn’t it just cry out for you to press down that lever and fill the house with the glorious smell of toast?

Our society is obsessed with becoming “my authentic self”, and everyone gets to determine for himself what that is. And the first thing they do is throw out their maker’s actual intentions.

Does anyone make anything without a purpose for it? A tool has a purpose. A painting has a purpose. Even a doily has a purpose. Why wouldn’t we think our maker had something in mind for us?

We were made by him and for him. We were put here to reflect him, to represent him, and to know him.

We need to teach the unbelievers around us that they will never be their “authentic self” while denying what they were made for. They cannot turn their back on God and still fulfill their purpose. If a toaster decides its purpose is to iron clothes, it does not cease to be a toaster, and it is still meant to toast bread. The toaster can be decorated, externally altered, but it is still a toaster. I’m not sure how to teach this to them, but they need to hear it. Perhaps this is a project for Christian authors and filmmakers.

We must also teach this to our children. Society is feeding them the “you can be whatever you want to be” line constantly. We have to make sure they understand they were made for a purpose. You can be whatever you want to be within the parameters set by your maker.

But this isn’t just for unbelievers and children. Our churches are filled with people who are slogging along on autopilot. They’re just living their lives, with an occasional dip into the spiritual. They need to know that is not who they were meant to be. The Christian life is more than weekly church and following a few rules; they were made to know their God and Savior. This is not the likely result when they’re discipled by Netflix more than Jesus.

There’s one more group that needs to hear this: Those who are doing their best to live the life and trying to do great things for the Lord. They want to go out and conquer the world for Jesus. May their tribe increase! But let’s remind them not to get so caught up in doing that they forget to be. Building all the churches in the world is not a substitute for being still and knowing God.

My daughter has often asked me what stage of her life was my favorite. I loved holding my babies. I relished watching my toddlers learn and explore the world, often with hilarious results. I enjoyed watching them grow and develop into the beautiful young women they are. I liked it when they were young, but I raised them to be adults. I wanted them to become godly women I would enjoy being with. And my favorite stage is the one where I can sit and have an adult conversation with my thoughtful and intelligent daughter.

God created us then saved and adopted us, not so he could watch us go scurry about like ants, but so we could know and relate to him. It is the highest of privileges, and one we should take full advantage of.

See also:
God Can Be Known
Knowing God


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