When I Grow Up

When I grow up I want to be a teacher. Or a doctor. Or a mommy. Or a fireman. Or an astronaut. Or an artist. Or an Olympic swimmer. Or a football player. Or a stewardess. Or a trash man. Or a bus driver. Or a journalist. Or a preacher. When I grow up. Hmmm. Funny how we always ask them what they want to be and they always answer with what they want to do. Perhaps it is the nature of our culture. To be busy is valued. To be popular. To be valued based on what we do.
But isn't it funny that nobody ever responds to the question with I want to be compassionate? Or full of justice. Or kind. Or patient. Or loving. Or gentle. Or mature. Or friendly. Or good. Or brave. Or chivalrous.
We have so warped our minds that we are what we doing and not what we are becoming that our children set their minds on what they are going to do to make money rather than what kind of person they want to become while they are doing that job.
It's just a little thing, but it is of great importance. If what you ARE is a banker and you lose your job, then you lose who you are. If what makes you important is being a mother and your kids leave home, then you are lost. It seems like nitpicking. It seems like it doesn't matter. But it does. It matters because life is fragile and we cannot control what might happen. We can lose a job. We can lose our eyesight. We can become disabled. We can lose everything in the stock market. We can lose our house. But we don't ever have to lose who we are. Our circumstances do not dictate our character. Our character is who we are. It is much more than what we do. What we do can and should change through the years. Our character shouldn't so much change as grow.
When life falls apart. When the unthinkable happens and nothing is as it was before. When you are betrayed by one you loved. When you are unemployed. When you falter and stumble in what you do. Remember, you are more than that. You are who you choose to be by your actions. Your kindness. Your love. Your peace. Your encouragement. Your traits define you. Yes, you can use them in the activities of your life, your relationships and jobs, but you are defined by what you choose to be and not by what you choose to do. Keep it straight in your mind. It'll make a huge difference in how you live. It will increase your courage. It will always keep you challenged to remain who you are no matter what circumstances come.
blessings,
rhonda