Meant to Be

In my mind, one of the greatest moments in a character's story is when they are challenged to become what they were meant to be.

When Peter Parker swings across the page or screen in the blue and red tights for the first time.  Or Bruce Wayne pulls the cowl and cape on and leaps into the night as Batman.  Maybe one of the most iconic is when mild mannered Clark Kent rips open his dress shirt in the phone booth revealing the red and yellow 'S' shield of Superman.  There are hundreds more across books, film, and real life.

Please feel free to share your favorite "meant to be" moment in the comments!

For me, one of the most impressive "meant to be" moments is in The Return of the King.  (I'm talking the film adaptation not the classic book for this example.)  Aragorn, the long lost descendant of the royal line, is for lack of a better word, still lost.  He does not want to assume the mantle of king.  Why?  Because his ancestors were weak.  They failed the world when they were needed most.  They were seduced by power, and fell.


Aragorn does not want to be like them.  So he avoids the responsibility.  He is still noble, and brave and acts with courage and a good heart, but he avoids what he was born to be.  His moment comes at what would appear the worst time.  A massive army has been gathered to battle great evil.  He is looked at as a hero and captain among them.  In the night he is summoned to meet a mysterious stranger.  This stranger is revealed to be his foster father, Elrond.


Elrond holds in his hands the reforged sword of the kings, a blade that is rightfully Aragorn's.  It had been broken for generations, but was reforged for him, now.  With a simple statement Elrond challenges Aragorn,

"Put aside the ranger. Become who you were meant to be."

 A challenge he accepts, and rises to.  He succeeds where his ancestors failed and he becomes a good and just king.


There is a moment in every Christ follower's life like this one.  Where we are challenged to become who we were meant to be.  Jesus didn't come to earth, live, die and rise so that we could live our lives in quite exile, working from the shadows, and being less what he called us to be.


When he gathered his disciples he said, "Come, follow me.  I will make you fishers of men.  Leave behind your nets and boats and follow me.  Become what I am calling you to be, what you were meant to be."


I'm not getting into destiny and fate and all of that, but if you call Jesus 'Lord,' he has called you to be a fisher of men.  So put aside the accountant, the CEO, the janitor, the housewife, the athlete, the artist, musician or whatever you 'are.'  Put that aside, and become what you were meant to be, what you were called to be by Jesus.


A disciple.  A fisher of men.


Someone who follows after Jesus with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and loves their neighbor as themselves.  Some one who does as Jesus talks about in Matthew 25: 35-36

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Becoming who you were meant to be is a life long task.  To follow after Jesus and learn what he taught, how he lived, what he did, and putting those things into action.  To feed the hungry, clothe those who need clothing, look after the sick and so on.

It's not just a magical moment, frozen in time.  The decision is.  But the becoming goes on long after.  You can't be a disciple if you don't learn.  If you don't learn how to disciple, you can not be a fisher of men.  If you can't be a fisher of men, you can't be what Jesus meant for you to be.

I'm not writing this as someone who thinks they've 'become.'  I'm still on the path, I'm still learning.  I'm still becoming who I was meant to be.  Who Jesus wants me to be.

So I challenge you to hear the words of the Messiah, Jesus, "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." 

Put aside the _(fill in the blank)_ and become who you were meant to be.

Grace, peace & hope
-Jersey