In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said to Peter, ‘I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (ESV). Who was Peter at that moment? A pretty flaky chap. Learning slowly, if at all. Somehow both over-enthusiastic and under-committed at the same time. Nobody’s picture of a solid foundation for the global Jesus movement, then. But God saw who Peter would be one day, and He talked to Peter in the present, knowing who he’d become in the future. In how He led him, and taught him, He let Peter’s future have more sway than Peter’s past. And that’s a kind of grace, isn’t it?
Where’s your mind today? Stuck in your past, or in your future? Are you letting your past control who you are today? That’s understandable. That’s a pretty human thing to do. But it isn’t a heavenly thing to do. God’s mind is stuck on your future. He sits outside of time, so He can see who you’re going to be one day. And He takes that and tells you about it, today. God roars and cheers you on because He knows who you’re going to turn out to be. Every step you take towards that person, He’s giving you what you need to get there. One of the biggest resources He’s given you is imagination. Imagination is a sketchpad for your identity. So:
What now?
Sit down and creatively think up who you’d love to become one day. Ask God to guide your imagination as you do. Write it down: all the skills, the locations, the desires you want to have.
