I’m dating myself here, but I know a lot of you will be with me. Do you remember when the Christmas catalogue would come in the mail? A big, thick magazine full of toy deals to circle for Mom and Dad to clearly know what you wanted. And it seemed like there was something you wanted on every page. It was exciting to get. Exciting to flip through. What if you felt that way about the Bible? 

Do you know the person you want to be? Maybe that is an offensive question, implying that you should want to be someone else. We live in a world that constantly wants to affirm everyone just the way they are. We are told that we are perfect, and “Don’t change a thing.” I suppose those words might make someone feel better that is battling low self-esteem. And there is certainly no shortage of that in our world, of those who are caught in comparison to airbrushed models, social media projections, and the perfect life shown in the movies. But words of comfort that we know are not true are short-lived. We are not perfect just the way we are. So rather than comforting ourselves with lies, we should inspire ourselves with truth. It’s important to have a clear picture of who we want to be. 

However, our problem is we often look for that person in the wrong places. We don’t find who we are called to be, and shouldn’t find who we want to be, in magazines, or social media posts, or in our favorite movies and TV shows. This only produces envy and leads to deeper discontentment. It is coveting. Wanting someone else's life, someone else's looks, someone else’s talents. We are not called to be someone else, but we are called to be something else. To be transformed, to be conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29); to be filled with the Spirit, producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians  5); to put off the old self and put on the new self (Colossians 3). The person we should want to be is revealed in scripture, modeled perfectly in the life of Christ, and expressed exemplarily in the saints that are able to say, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” 

Do you have a clear picture of that person? The specific traits you long for? The characteristics you work toward? Do you ever read your Bible like the way so many people flip through a catalogue, or watch HGTV, thinking, “Oh, I want that!”? The Bible is full of things that entice our desires—good desires. That is when our hearts are made new, and we begin to long for the right things. 

We can’t go through life with specifics behind our coveting and generalities behind our sanctification. To want a forest-green, classic Ford Bronco with leather interior and off-road tires, parked out front of a rustic cabin on a lake with great fishing, and then to just also want to be a better person—that clearly shows a desire problem. Let’s get more specific in our honorable desires. 

This happened to me recently in some morning Bible time. I was reading along as the ancient, inspired text of God transformed into the catalogue that fed my wish list. A familiar text, but reading it again refreshed desires and longings that quickly turned to requests. It was a way of reading that slid right into praying, that went back to more reading, that only stirred up more praying. Now it was less like just reading and more like a joyful dance or game of catch in the backyard with our Heavenly Father . 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:4-6)

I read that like a kid looking at the Sears Christmas catalogue: “I want that!” I want to be someone who is always rejoicing. Someone who’s reasonable. Who’s never worried. Who’s praying about everything. Who’s constantly thankful. I so want to be that person. Father, please! And our Father knows how to give good gifts. 

Unlike the movies and the magazines, God’s Word doesn’t just show us some out-of-reach, unrealistic dream we know we’ll never get, leaving us with an envy hangover. No, the Bible holds up who we are called to be and shows us how to get it. 

We can be rejoicing always, reasonable, never worried, constantly praying, full of gratitude type of people, because the Lord is at hand. He is near, able to help, comfort, forgive, strengthen. His return is coming, all things will be made new, every tear will be wiped away. 

Church, let’s get a clear picture of who we want to be, not from social media comparisons, or envy-producing magazines and shows, but from the Word of God. And not in some general sense of just wanting to be a better person, but let’s get inspired by the details of the type of person we can be in Christ Jesus. And then let’s make our request known to God.