“The most important task of your life is not what you do, but who you become.”

A thought by John Ortberg from his book, The Me I Want to Be (p. 13). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

But that doesn’t seem to be the case.  I am what I do, aren’t I?

John says, “Life is not about any particular achievement or experience. The most important task of your life is not what you do, but who you become. There is a me you want to be.

“Ironically, becoming this person will never happen if my primary focus is on me, just as no one becomes happy if their main goal is to be happy. God made you to flourish, but flourishing never happens by looking out for ‘number one.’ It is tied to a grander and nobler vision. The world badly needs wise and flourishing human beings, and we are called to bring God’s wisdom and glory to the world. The truth is, those who flourish always bring blessing to others — and they can do so in the most unexpected and humble circumstances.”

Later he says, “Every once in a while, you do something that surprises you and catch a glimpse of the person you were made to be. You say something inspirational at a meeting. You help a homeless man no one else notices. You are patient with a rambunctious three-year-old. You lose yourself in a piece of music. You fall in love. You express compassion. You stand up to a bully. You freely make a sacrificial gift. You fix an engine. You forgive an old hurt. You say something you would normally never say, or you keep from saying something you would normally blurt out.

“As you do, you glimpse for a moment why God made you. Only God knows your full potential, and he is guiding you toward that best version of yourself all the time. He has many tools and is never in a hurry. That can be frustrating for us, but even in our frustration, God is at work to produce patience in us. He never gets discouraged by how long it takes, and he delights every time you grow. Only God can see the ‘best version of you,’ and he is more concerned with you reaching your full potential than you are.”

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

John says, “You are not your handiwork; your life is not your project. Your life is God’s project. God thought you up, and he knows what you were intended to be. He has many good works for you to do, but they are not the kind of ‘to do’ lists we give spouses or employees. They are signposts to your true self.

“Your ‘spiritual life’ is not limited to certain devotional activities that you engage in. It is receiving power from the Spirit of God to become the person God had in mind when he created you — his handiwork.”

We are created by God to be the best version of us.  So would you reach out to Him and let Him do in you what will make you be the best version of you?  Will you?

Yes, yes?