Learning to be the You God Created

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

Forrest Gump asked, “Aren’t I going to be me?”

Forrest Gump may hold the “most favorite movie” title in my heart. Perhaps because watching it resembles reading historical fiction, my favorite genre of literature. 

Forrest loved Jenny, his only friend when he was a young boy. But Jenny came from an abusive home where her drunken father took many liberties with her. She once prayed that God would make her a bird so she could fly far away. Her early experiences hounded her into college and beyond. Not until she became a young woman and mothered a child—Forrest’s child—did she realize what Forrest had tried to get her to admit for a long time: she loved him. Unfortunately, her loose living resulted in an incurable disease that took her life prematurely. 

But before these later troubles, Jenny and Forrest sat in her dorm room one day, discussing life. Jenny shared her aspirations to be a folk singer like Joan Baez. When she asked Forrest if he ever thought about what he wanted to be, he asked the comical yet thought-provoking question. 

Can we be anyone other than who we are? King Saul may have thought so. He held the king title of Israel, but all he heard from the women was “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7 NLT). As a result, he flew into a rage and made several attempts on David’s life. David also had several opportunities to kill Saul, but he refused to slay the Lord’s anointed. 

Have you ever wondered how it would feel to be _______________ (fill in the blank with your favorite author or actor)? To be an award-winning author. To travel across the country—or even worldwide—and speak to thousands. To have numerous books to your credit—and actually be able to pay the bills from the royalties. To have a social media platform that any agent or publisher would be glad to take advantage of. 

Most of us writers must return to Forrest Gump’s question: “Aren’t I going to be me?” And the me we are probably doesn’t fall into any of the above categories. We’re not popular—at least not beyond our friends and family. Nor are we famous. 

After all, if all of us were famous, none of us would be. We’d have to change the definition of famous. We’d all just be . . . well . . . ordinary. But what’s wrong with that? 

Truthfully, we can’t be anyone other than who we are. If we try, we’ll soon get discouraged, give up the fight, or write devotions, articles, and novels that don’t reverberate with our voice. 

Why God gives notoriety to some and not others, I can’t answer. A few are internationally recognized, while most are known only in small circles. Some influence millions while others touch only hundreds—perhaps just someone in their family or church. 

Rather than try to be what or who we aren’t, we merely need to be who God wants us to be. We are his masterpieces, and he has created us with purpose. His plans for us vary, but the most important thing we can do in our writing—and anything else—is learn the truth of Forrest’s statement. 

Forrest couldn’t be Jenny nor his best friend, Bubba. Nor could Jenny be Forrest. And King Saul couldn’t be David. And I can’t be Max Lucado, Charles Stanley, Stephen King, Margaret Mitchell, John Steinbeck, etc. Nor can you. The best thing you can do is just be you. After all, you are the only you there is. Or as Dr. Seuss said, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

Tell us about a time you struggled to be you.

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Learning to be the You God Created, insight from Martin Wiles, @LinesFromGod on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Martin Wiles is the founder of Love Lines from God (www.lovelinesfromgod.com) and serves as Managing Editor for Christian Devotions, Senior Editor for Inspire a Fire, and Proof Editor for Courier Publishing. He has authored six books and has been published in numerous publications. His most recent book, DON'T JUST LIVE...REALLY LIVE, debuted in October of 2021. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, author, and pastor.

Featured Image: Photo by James Kemp on Unsplash