Who Am I To Become?

Maybe God cares about who we are becoming more than what we are specifically doing.

The transformation that Jesus brings about makes us more fully alive. It makes us more human. When we are more fully alive, becoming all that God envisions we can be, suddenly we start walking through life lock-step with God and His will. It is precisely when we focus on God’s desire to transform us that He teaches us how to walk through the uncertainty of where we are going. The result is the temporary uncertainty of this life becomes far less important in light of the eternal trajectory we are now focused on. We walk toward Christ through doubt, through struggles, through confusion, through unanswered prayers and through our relentless desire to simply know where every moment of our lives will end up. We don’t know everything—we don’t know the specific job, home, spouse, school, friends, challenges or callings our lives may entail—but we know the one thing necessary.

Paul also says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV). We are transformed by God as we rejoice in the Gospel—not in what we do but in what has been done for us: Jesus loves us and gave Himself for us. In response, we begin to pray out of this deep appreciation for God’s infinite love shown to us in our hearts. We begin to give thanks in any and every circumstance because no matter what we face and no matter what the future holds, we know God is for us and that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

You may not have clarity about temporal circumstances, but you can have clarity about the only thing that matters: God gave Himself for us and is more committed to our transformation and life than we are. In seeking clarity, you are really longing to know what you can’t know. But in seeking God, what you do know is knowing enough. By keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus and the beauty of His grace, the rest works itself out.

Alastair Bryan Sterne has a master's in biblical studies from Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the pastor of St. Peter’s Fireside, a church plant in Vancouver, B.C. Sometimes he writes stuff on their website, like the original version of this article. He is still waiting to say something original on Twitter.