John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Today I was thumbing through a magazine when one of the taglines for an article caught my eye. It said, “Who were you before the world told you who you ought to be?” I didn’t read the article. Instead I thought about the question for some time. I separated the question into two parts. “Who was I before?” and “Who does the world think I ought to be?”
Who Was I Before?
As a child, I remember hearing people often say that I was once just a twinkle in my dad’s eye. Well, that’s how I see the “before” me. I was a twinkle in the mind of God. He conceived me first in His mind before I was ever conceived in the flesh. And He had a plan for my life before I drew my first breath (Jeremiah 1:5). The “before-me” was designed to be a child of God with a heavenly Father whose love for me would be more than I could ever imagine. I would one day meet His Son Jesus, who would forgive my sins and become my Saviour. I would be a joint-heir with His Son, Jesus. I would serve God while in this life, and one day I would live forever with Him in heaven. That’s a pretty awesome “before-me!”
Who Has The World Thought I Ought To Be?
The “thief” in today’s verse represents Satan, and our sinful world is his domain. The ungodly influences of the world are constant, subtle, and varied. I realize the world first began trying to force its image upon me as a young child. The first time is when the world told me that I ought to be emotionally unstable since there were times I felt unloved and abandoned by my parents. Yes, I remember difficult times when I felt alone, but I was never abandoned by God, nor was I unloved by Him, and it was God who protected me through those hard times. As I look back, the “before-me” realizes my parents never abandoned me despite the ups and downs of my childhood; they did what they believed was best for me at the time. I also realize that God doesn’t make mistakes. He chose my parents for me because they would be the best for me in fulfilling His plan for my life. He knew the path I would walk as their daughter, and He still entrusted me to their care. So, despite the world telling me I ought to be angry or disappointed with them, I cannot be. My mom and dad were flawed human beings, sinners just as I am, but I loved them, and I know they loved me.
The second time I can remember the world trying to mold me into what it thought I ought to be was in high school. Throughout my teen years, the world told me I ought to be rebellious. I didn’t need to follow the rules for righteous living. It was okay to experiment with cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and sex. After all, I was a child of the 60s, and everyone was doing it! The world also told me that I did not have to respect authority; I didn’t need organized religion, and I certainly didn’t need God. The “before-me” knew this was untrue, and that satisfaction in life could only be found through Jesus, not in the vices of sin or the philosophies of man (Titus 2:12). I am so thankful that during this time of my life, the “before-me” was protected by the hand of God and the truth of His Word.
Later as a young woman, the world told me I ought to be a “liberated.” When my friends found out I was keeping the words “to love, honor and obey” in my marriage vows, they were stunned that I would promise to “obey my husband,” and told me I should change those words to “love, honor and cherish.” The “before-me” was adamant that I would not change my vows because God’s Word told me that a godly woman should submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22). To this day, I still “love, honor, and obey” my husband of 41 years, and I do so proudly.
The world also told me I ought to put myself before the needs of my unborn children. Due to my mother’s exposure to radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, I was advised with each pregnancy to have genetic testing with the intent to abort them if there was any evidence of abnormalities. The “before-me” refused. I knew the babies I carried were precious lives (Psalm 139:14), and that God would enable my husband and me to care for them no matter what their status would be upon birth. Both of my children were born healthy.
The world has always told me that I ought to live the life I want to live regardless of what anyone says. However, I know that my life is not mine. It belongs to the One who died for me. My life belongs to Jesus, and I live for Him. Now that I am in my “golden years,” I find that I am exactly what I was created to be… a child of God, a woman devoted to her family, and a person whose identity is found in Christ. It hasn’t been the easiest journey, but it certainly was one where I never walked alone. I can’t imagine being in a better place in my life. The “before-me” has an abundance of joy, contentment, and hope for a very wonderful future.
I shudder to think where I would be if I had become what the world thought I ought to have been.