Many ideas initially sound excellent, but we do not take the time to consider them in terms of Biblical accuracy. Catching phrases and memes may sound great, and even easily grow into accepted truths in our society, but they contradict God’s Word entirely. These ideas are generally misleading, even on the surface, and outright false when evaluated more deeply. One of these ideas is that “you can be whatever you want to be.”
The idea “you can be whatever you want to be” has been commonly taught in elementary schools for many years.
It sounds like a great thing to teach kids. Everyone has an equal opportunity to become president or compete in the Olympics. We want to believe, and even teach, that every opportunity is open to our young people and even to us. Everyone can achieve their dreams. However, it is not true, and it is definitely not Biblical.
The idea of “you can be whatever you want to be,” while it sounds great, is against what we should be teaching as Christians. Instead, we should teach, “You can be whatever God wants you to be. God’s given you many gifts and skills to serve others.” God created us with specific gifts and talents (Ephesians 2:10, Romans 12:6-8). As teens make choices, they can put those gifts and talents to work as they fulfill their many vocations. We need to make sure your teens hear this message.
The Bible contains many characters who deal with hardships because they choose to “be what they want to be” and rebel against God. Some examples are David and Bathsheba, Jonah, and King Solomon’s children. We even know from stories like that of Moses, who delivered messages to a Pharoah from God even though he was “slow of speech,” that God will provide for our weaknesses (Exodus 4: 10-12). The Bible even says it is through our weakness that God shows his strength (2 Corinthians 12:9). It is important to seek to be God-pleasing as we make the choices we face, being secure in the knowledge that Jesus is always with us to help us (Matthew 28:20).
The message that we need to stay focused on Christ first is even more critical now with the current messaging our youth receive from the world, both directly and indirectly.
They see actors, actresses, and social media influencers who promote lavish worldly lifestyles. They learn to strive for this as the highest form of success. We must point out that God does not want wealth to be our goal. The Bible warns us against this. I Timothy 6:9 (ESV) says, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” When teaching this lesson, have youth identify the ruin and destruction they recognize in famous, wealthy people (ex. devastating divorces, drug use). Worldly riches will be left behind, but there are blessings in obedience to God and His Word (1 Timothy 6:7, Luke 11:28.)
One of the struggles with messages from culture is that on the surface they seem neutral, but the message “you can be whatever you want to be” over time can transform into a concept recognizably anti-Biblical. That includes “you can be whatever gender you want to be.” Our youth are inundated with this lie through some schools, the internet, and social media. The world teaches that the same concept they apply to career choice applies to gender. The message is that regardless of how you were created by God, you have the choice to be a whatever gender you prefer since humans assigned it to you at birth. Instead, we should teach them that God created man and woman, both with purpose, value, and uniquely equipped to serve the roles intended for them (Ephesians 5:22-33). God, our Creator, lovingly designed us, and we must trust that He had done what is best.
As we teach our children that God has created them as His beloved child with the skills and talents they need to be successful, we need to be direct about what success looks like for a Christian: Living out your Christian identity as a child of God.
Living out Christian identity may at times look completely different than the world’s idea of success (Mark 8:34-38). We each have vocations in our church, home, and community. Even if He blesses us with wealth, it is not to serve the purpose of providing us with a lavish lifestyle. Instead, we are to live differently than those in the world around us. We use our gifts, including wealth, to serve God’s purposes (Proverbs 3:9).
Be sure to teach youth that what God desires is never a mistake (Romans 12:2). He created each of us as His wonderful son or daughter and labeled us as such. God did this, not the world. He is the Creator we can always depend on to love us and be there to help us (2 Timothy 2:11-13). When Christians do not address the misleading statements and outright lies provided to youth by the world, the world will use innocent-sounding ideas to undermine Biblical teachings, even attacking our youth’s identity as beloved male and female creations of God.
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