We Are All Becoming

I thought about this idea while I was running yesterday. This idea that we are all becoming. That's tricky, though, isn't it. If I said to you this morning I'm becoming, I might be suggesting to you that there is something attractive or lovely or elegant about me.

I could also be saying, take a good look at me now, because I'm in the process of becoming something completely new by dinner time. Or at least by tomorrow.

One word, two different meanings.

I thought about this because yesterday I shared a story with you about a transformation that happened in my life built largely on the stories I was telling myself about me.

Today, I need to add that very rarely do we wake up and change the story from "I am a thief" to "This is not who I am" without someone or many someones in our lives telling us "this is not who you are" first. We need people planting seeds of a new story in our lives before it can ever start growing in our hearts and in our minds.

Too often, though, when we see someone who is acting "unbecoming" - we lose sight of the fact that they are becoming. Too often when we see people going through struggles in life, we let those struggles define them, or worse, maybe we are the ones defining them by those struggles, all the while conveniently forgetting we've been a transformation act our whole lives.

The gift of my story has been that much more than before, when I see "unbecoming" people, they get the benefit of the doubt from me. More often than not, when I encounter a thief or read about a thief, I know that's not their story. I know that's a stop in the story of who they are becoming.

I also know this. Who I've become has a lot to do with the stories people believed about me. I'm grateful there were people in my life who said this story you're telling yourself about being a thief, well it's a lie.

And you know, yesterday, several of you reached out and said thank you. Thank you for giving me permission to be honest with the idea that I'm becoming. You said thank you for allowing me to give myself grace.

You're welcome, but more importantly, thank YOU. Thank you for saying this story you're telling yourself these days, it's a good and true story.

One of the most meaningful things a boss ever said to me was when I was working with at-risk kids. He said this simple thing to me: catch them doing something right.

I think sometimes we see people acting unbecoming and we believe that's their story. We let THEM believe that is their story. I'd encourage you to pause - pause and reflect and ask yourself if you've ever been someone you wish you hadn't been in your life. Someone you'd never go back to being today.

If so, maybe stick around in that person's life and catch them doing something right. Be the seed that let's them start telling themselves a new story.

Help make their journey of becoming make them more becoming.