What do you want to be when you grow up?

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

It's a fun question to ask kids because you never know what answer you're going to get... a dinosaur, princess, football player, mom, dog, etc.  The list goes on and on of all kinds of answers we have heard in response to the timeless question.  One of the best thing about kids is scientific boundaries don't exist yet, anything is possible for them, even being a dog.  For them, a dog may truly be what they want to be when they grow up because they see their dog as: happy, loved, excited about life, and fun to be around.  What more can a kid want in life right!?!  Subconsciously they are telling us WHO they want to be.  The meaning behind the answers is more meaningful than the answers themselves.  The underlying WHO is greater than the irrelevant WHAT.   When kids say they want to be a dog when they grow up, I don't think they are trying to pursue WHAT life as a dog looks like; running around on all fours, barking at the mail-man, and drinking water out of a toilet.  

Do we see people for WHAT they are or for WHO they are?  It's hard sometimes to look past the messy fur, smelly dog breath and "dirty paws of life" so-to-speak to see someone with a caring heart that wants to encourage, inspire, or comfort.

Some of WHAT we are, we can control.  Other things are given to us genetically or situationally.  So if we shift our focus onto WHO we are, our identity is secure, regardless of the situation. This is where the real difference is.  The WHAT's in life can change in an instant.  Health, Wealth, Job, Title, fill in the blank.... But WHO we are is stronger than the circumstances of life.  Like they say... life is 10% WHAT happens to you and 90% WHO you are because of it.

WHO we choose to be will naturally lead our actions toward WHAT we do.  However, WHAT we want to be is not strong enough to support the weight of the identity of WHO we are.

So... WHO do you want to be?