FROM THE editors January 12, 2004 Issue

Reclaiming our purpose

Often children talk about what they want to be when they grow up. We all did that ourselves as children. Astronauts, movie stars, singers, sports heroes, president. But did we grow up to meet what we imagined would be our purpose in life? Truthfully, many of us are probably going through life in ways that are very different from our childhood dreams. Is it because we outgrew those fantastical images of ourselves and intentionally designed our lives to fit more conventional careers? Or did we perhaps lose that innocent belief in ourselves, the belief that all things are possible—that all things should be possible.

As childhood ends, people all too commonly begin drifting into limiting ways of thinking about their capabilities. "I can't" may become the response to life's possibilities. "I can't because I'm too ...." Or, "I'm not smart enough, big enough, talented enough ...." Maybe it's just fear that plays too big a role in determining what paths to pursue along life's journey. Fear in whatever form limits and obstructs. It never forwards progress. The Bible's first account of creation, Genesis chapter one, shows that God created each of us in His own "image." We reflect His being. It follows, then, that since God is unlimited, as His reflection we are unlimited, too.

But day-to-day life isn't some childhood fantasy of unlimited possibilities—of spotlights, rocket ships, and championship-winning touchdowns. In fact, life seems mostly to be about scratching out a living, keeping a family together—just making it from day to day.

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