The Recipe for Becoming
To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
It is easy to feel run down and burned out. So much is expected, often without our knowing if you are the one pulling the strings of your own life. It feels inappropriate because few of us reading this devotion are sixteen years old anymore. Shouldn’t we know how to live our lives? I am sixty-one years old; sometimes, I do not feel I am running my own life. Responsibility for one’s life requires regular times of intentional reflection. What is needed to remain in control of our lives and decision-making are intentional moments of “self-becoming.”
I’ve taken the phrase self-becoming from Thomas Oppong’s article, “Once You Carry Your Own Water, You Will Learn The Value of Every Drop.” We carry our own water when we own our actions. When we react to everyone else’s demands and expectations, we are not carrying our own water. I love Oppong’s lesson in self-reliance. He declares, “Taking charge of fetching your own water is a reality check-you literally feel the weight of every drop.” “You never truly understand something until you have to do it yourself.” Carrying our water means being responsible for our actions and not blaming others for pulling our strings.
The recipe for self-becoming includes gratitude in addition to responsibility. As Americans, we have so many opportunities it is easy to take our blessings for granted. Without gratitude, we do not appreciate what we have or the God who makes it all possible. Oppong reminds us of Benjamin Franklin’s words, “When the well is dry, we learn the worth of water.” Gratitude is part of the recipe for becoming because there is so much beyond our control. The water we carry is only possible because God provides the liquid that sustains life.
Oppong takes the recipe metaphor one step further. “Carrying your own water is the difference between watching a cooking show and getting into the kitchen. You might spill some ingredients and burn a few dishes, but you learn what works for you.” When you reflect with God’s Spirit, you make a refined you. My wife makes the best cranberry sauce I’ve ever had. It has gotten better over the years. Now, she doesn’t even use a recipe; she just knows that a pinch of this and a piece of that will make it taste great. We will get to the point where our reflections will become more comfortable, because it will be as second nature as Jill making cranberry sauce. Keep working to mold and become the person you and God desire. Over time, you will regain control, and it will become second nature. Do not give up or give in; you and God are in charge of your recipe of becoming.