Who do you desire to be

when you grow up?

Read – I John 3:1-10

Scripture: “Beloved, now we are the offspring of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. But we know that when Christ appears, we will be mirror images (I John 3:1).”

Denial: “My life is not about wants, but desires.”

Affirmation: “I AM becoming more of the beloved offspring of God that I already AM.”

T.J. Holmes, an award-winning journalist and ABC news anchor and correspondent, was the keynote speaker at my daughter, Courtney’s, graduation from Walden University on Saturday, August

3, 2019, at the National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland. It was one of the largest graduations that I had ever attended. There were graduates there from all over the earth. I cried from the time the commencement address began until it ended. It was more than me being proud of my daughter’s accomplishment of getting a master’s degree in business administration. It was deeper than the gathering of family and friends being there to support Courtney’s Big Day. I had uncontrollable tears because of T.J. Holmes’ transformative message.

I have been the celebrant of several graduations. I have also celebrated my loved ones when they graduated. For several years, I was an Assistant Principal of St. Frances Academy, a Catholic high

school in the inner city of Baltimore, and the Commencement Exercise was one of many responsibilities. I have even been the speaker for a few graduations, but no graduation impacted me as much as this one. It was as if God was speaking directly to me through T.J. Holmes. At one point, I felt like he and I were the only ones in the room. I replayed the speech more times than I have fingers. I even shared the link to the address with several members of my local assembly and national organization. What was so profound about the T.J. Holmes’ message is that he said we’ve been asking the wrong question.

We ask children what they want to be when they grow up. Instead, he suggested that we ask them who do they desire to be when they grow up. He said that we focus so much time and energy on

positions and possessions and less on the personal character development, thus the society in which we live. Then he spent the rest of the time telling us about all the things that were not in his

biographical sketch and curriculum vitae. He shared what was considered his failures, the lessons that he learned from those experiences, and how they made him the person that he became. As a result of that life-changing message, I have focused my attention on being the person that I desire to be as opposed to all the things that I desire to have and all the things that I desire to do. Since I made that mental adjustment, I AM experiencing much more fulfillment in my life.

Reflection Question: How can you focus more on being as

opposed to doing