what I want to be

Every once in a while, I ponder who and what I am . . . and what I hope to be. As a husband, a father, and a teacher, these things matter to me . . . a lot. I have aspirations, aims, and hopes, but there are times when I wonder if I’m getting anywhere, whether people even “get” were I’m coming from.

There have been a few times–I don’t think too often, though I could be wrong–when I have been misunderstood and even misrepresented. Like everyone else, some people don’t know or understand me. I realize, of course, that I can’t control the opinions of everyone, and I recognize that I make mistakes which certain people might (mis)identify as the “real” me.

It is therefore important to pause and consider what I’d like to be. While I care about many things, there are some basic traits, characteristics, or values to which I aspire.

I hope to be . . .

✓ a person of integrity and honor
✓ a possessor (and conveyor) of kindness and wisdom
✓ an individual who can be trusted and who truly cares
✓ a man who is able both to think and to feel
✓ someone who is unafraid to express his convictions and yet equally able to walk with humility
✓ a person who is willing to demonstrate genuine affection for others
✓ an individual who appreciates good things when he sees them

I suppose what I'm hoping for, ultimately, is to resemble Jesus, for he is the epitome of all of these ideals.

God knows how inconsistent I can be, and how foolish. But these are still the traits that I wish to embody and share with others. “Lord, please allow these ideals to increasingly take shape in my heart and flow from my life.”