It’s tempting to keep doing whatever we’re already doing, especially when we’re good at it. And this is part of our excellence and gift to others. But the path of maturity also calls for us to expand our identity and discover more of who God has made us to be.
To be sure, actors often fear being typecast. After playing an iconic role, others might then always look to him to play this same character again, which ultimately stunts his growth as an actor. The original role might be rewarding and meaningful on many levels, and he might not mind reprising it occasionally. But he also knows there is more to him as an actor than just this role, and he longs for the freedom to explore this without being stuck in the box of his past successes.
We can find ourselves in a similar box, though often it’s one of our own making. Perhaps we were the class clown or the smart kid in school, and we now feel our only identity is making others laugh or being the one with the answers. Or maybe we were the leader everyone looked to in order to make things happen, but now intimacy seems foreign to us because we only know how to fix things and drive a mission forward.
To be fair, these might be expectations others place on us as well. But on some level we’re still allowing ourselves to be typecast. And maturity is finding our freedom to expand our identity and roles we play.
We don’t have to deny what we do well and the value we still bring to others, but we hinder our ability to love when we’re stuck in the same role. Growth brings change. And we cannot love effectively when our character is too static.
In the end, avoid being typecast and stuck in your past identities. Expand your identity and maximize your freedom to love.
Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash
