What Would You Change?

If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? This is an often asked question, and of course everyone has something to change. Some want to be taller; some want to be shorter. I'm sure Jewel would want to fix that little fang she's got going on there. The list is endless.

If you asked me what I would change, I would say, "Nothing." This isn't to say that I don't want to change, but I take that question to mean What would you change instantly about yourself, without any effort on your part?

I like who I am. It is true that I have done some pretty bonehead things in the past, but without them I wouldn't be the same person I am today. I wish some of my present circumstances were different (I could sure use a few million dollars, for example), but without the constant challenges in life I wouldn't grow. I have pipe dreams for the future, but I wouldn't want to achieve them without undertaking the journey to get there first.

Perhaps that ultimately is why I answer the initial question the way I do. I am enjoying the journey of life. I am excited about where I am and where I am going to be. I don't regret the regrettable things I have done, although I do seek forgiveness, because God has used those things to teach me. Sometimes I would like better stuff, but then I remember that it's just stuff. All stuff can do is draw me away from God, and I do that well enough by myself. And the future? What good is a prize if you didn't run the race to get it?

I do some things well, some not so well. Some of my features I like, some I don't. I have had good jobs and bad. I have given up some things I love, and pressed on doing things I don't. I was never tall enough or coordinated enough to play basketball in high school; I was never a fast enough runner to make it to nationals in college. And I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.