I’ve started reading some books on parenting as we think through how we disciple and lead families into the next generation. In one of the books I picked up I found this little excerpt from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go?

Cat: That depends on where you want to get to.

Alice: I don’t much care where—

Cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.

I think this is such a profound interaction.

Some of the biggest questions we ask ourselves are around what we should do or where we should go. It’s not that these questions are bad questions but the cat points out something that very few of us ask and even fewer can answer – Where are we trying to get to? or if could add – Who are we trying to become?

When we understand our purpose, our direction it becomes much easier to establish the day to day course of where we should go and what we should do. However the idea of knowing our purpose or our direction can feel pretty nebulous. The truth is as a Christ follower I know that this comes out of identity. And when you are someone who is following Jesus it’s less about who am I but who is He.

Perhaps a better question is Who are we trying to become like?

When my eyes are fixed on Jesus and my days are centred around becoming who He has always created to be, a reflection of Him, then the rest falls into place. It doesn’t mean it is easy or never conflicted but it is set. It’s so important if we are believers that we wrestle this big question to the ground or we will we constantly find ourselves asking the where and what questions endlessly. When we understand the who, we’ll find the what and the where fall into place much more easily. Purpose