When I Grow Up

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:13-16 ESV). As soon as you read the title of today’s devotional there are many of you who would simply remark that I have never grown up. So, why worry even ask the question? My hope is that you are not in the same place that I am and you are interested in the answer! There’s a wonderful little story that I came across recently. Meg F. Quijano relates the following incident that happened upon her return from a meeting of the National Organization for Women. Her five-year-old daughter, Lisa, greeted her with the news that when she grew up she wanted to be a nurse. There was a time when nursing was thought by many to be a “woman’s job.” She was very concerned that her daughter was limiting her future by the “gender bias of the present culture.” Quijano told Lisa she could be anything she wanted to be. “You can be a lawyer, a surgeon, a banker, President of the United States; you can be anything.” Lisa looked a little dubious. “Anything? Anything at all?” She thought about it, and then her face lit up with ambition. “All right,” she said. “I’ll be a horse.” While the humor in the story does convey an important message, I’m afraid many people miss it altogether. The real question we ought to seek the answer for is not what I want to be when I grow up; but, rather what has God created me to be? Our reading today is so clear. Before anything that was made was indeed made, God designed me. That includes all of the characteristics and gifts I possess. Of course, this is not to say we don’t play a role in developing those characteristics and gifts. We do. As we mature we develop various interests according to these characteristics and gifts. Some are gifted artistically. They become exposed to the arts and find an interest that could ultimately lead to a marvelous career and life-long path. Others may find their gifts tend to follow a path of analytical or scientific pursuit. These individual hone their gifts through education in these areas. Is one more important than the other? Where would we be in our world without the arts or sciences? Tragically we tend to undervalue one while overvaluing the other. Whatever pursuit you have chosen is vital to the plans and purposes of God. Do it with faithfulness and commitment. And, if you feel you’re in the wrong path, seek help to determine where God wants you. It is never too late. Who knows, maybe I’ll be a horse when I grow up!