The title of this post seems like a silly question when you first read it, doesn’t it? Of course, we’re all human beings, right?
The simple answer is: yes.
Then why do so many of us live our lives as though we were created as human doings? I don’t know about you, but I have often fallen into the trap of thinking my value lies in what I do instead who I am.
This confusion starts early in life as the answers to the question of what we want to be when we grow up nearly always focus on the work we want to do. Answers like doctor, astronaut, pilot, author, nurse, etc. are
great, but those titles only describe the work we do. They don’t provide our identity, and they shouldn’t be how we define ourselves.
When God was looking for the next king of His chosen people, He didn’t look for someone with an impressive sounding title or an important job. Being a shepherd was an insignificant enough job that David’s father nearly forgot about him until the prophet asked if there were any others sons to consider.
God wasn’t looking for a ‘human doing’ who focused on climbing the corporate ladder – not that climbing that ladder is a bad thing. God was looking for a human being who was focused on Him, being in relationship with Him no matter the position he held or the task he was given to do.
Nearly any Christian would say they want to bring God glory through everything they do. What I am learning is the things which bring the most glory to God are those I do with Him – not for Him.
Many people spend years searching for the purpose for which they were created. They change jobs. They search for significance and fulfillment in various activities, and when they fail to find what they’re looking for, they add more to the calendar hoping they can do enough to be of value to God or others. The problem with this is it begins at the wrong end of the process.
When we choose to be a human being, realizing that being in relationship with God is enough, we are free to be the people He created us to be. Our value is unchanged by our performance, and we can be confident that we are loved no matter what we are doing.
When we know we are chosen and loved unconditionally, our doing comes from a place of wanting to please Him because we love Him, not because we are trying to earn anything. When our identity flows from a place of intimacy with our Creator, we can walk confidently in our purpose no matter what our title or position may be, no matter what tasks we do.
That is the basis for Live Your Story: Walking Out Your Identity and Purpose with the Master Storyteller. If you would like more information, please visit: https://www.stephanienhall.com/
