Dr. Suess was a genius. He decided that when he couldn’t rhyme words, he would make up his own. Did you ever read his book, “There’s a Wocket In My Pocket?” It sounds like something I made up as a kid.
“Did you ever have a feeling there’s a zamp in the lamp? Or a nink in the sink? Or a woset in the closet? Sometimes I am quite certain there’s a jurtain in the curtain.” [1]
Come on, I know I made up that word jurtain. Too bad he developed this lyrical concept before anyone else did. It propelled his work in children’s literature to world renowned popularity. His books continue to sell in the millions each year and have earned him the status of being a regular household name.
If you’re a parent, you probably have plenty of Dr. Suess books in your children’s library. And after reading these catchy books to your children, you often become a rhymer yourself.
Years ago after reading Cat in the Hat, Wocket In My Pocket, and other Dr. Suess books to my one year old son, a divine rhyme popped into my head. It hasn’t left since.
If not me then who?
Why not me? Why not you?
Whose am I? Whose are you?
Three lines. So simple. But on the brink of a major transformation in my life at that time, God wanted me to reflect on them. Here’s how I broke them down.
If not me then who? Think about it. Somebody has to do it. You can’t wait around. If there’s a need, fill it. Don’t talk, walk. Be solution focused. Start creating.
Why not me? Why not you? What do you have that I don’t have? If you can do it, I can do it. If I can do it, you can do it. Who’s it gonna be?
Whose am I? Whose are you? I know where my identity lies. I know whose I am. With God on my side, anything is possible. If you think you can do it without him, watch what I can do with him.
Are you in a position right now where you really want to do something but haven’t yet? Are you feeling the call? Are you contemplating taking a leap? Maybe an opportunity has come your way, or maybe you found a way to create an opportunity. Are you second guessing yourself?
I get it. We’ve been there. Let me take you back to the early days of FMU. My wife Amber and I had the vision, but we didn’t have the right. We had no money, no business degrees, no experience or certifications. The economy was bad. People were losing their jobs. With a four month old child and my wife not working, I was leaving mine. On top of all of this, we didn’t have the confidence to believe we could do what God was calling us to.
Growing up poor, without much, without exposure to opportunities and certain experiences, we developed that not me mindset. “Well that’s for them, not me.” “He can do that, not me.” “Someone else is probably better suited for it, not me.”
We really had to break that conditioned mentality. We did so by coming to terms with the fact that if something is in God’s design for us, then we have to go for it regardless of how we feel. After all, if not us then who?
At that time I also remember two distinctive things happened:
Number 1: It seemed like God was revealing other business owners to me and I started noticing that some of them were really weird. No seriously, not trying to be funny, but I am. God was pointing out that there were some interesting people making it big, with no social skills and some not even with God by their side. They were making things happen. The message rang in my ears, “If they could do it, we could do it.” After all, why not me? Why not you?
Number 2: We said to ourselves, if we really believe what we say we believe—that God is good and he will use everything in our life for His glory and our good just as He promised, and that we can trust Him with the details of our life—then we had to put our faith to the test and show it. We knew we were writing a story for our children. If we were going to tell them to live out their faith throughout their lifetime, then our words would only hold power if we did the same. We had to die to ourselves. After all, whose are we?
When You Know Whose You Are You Become Dangerous.
It hasn’t always been easy since we took that leap. But we knew following Jesus wasn’t supposed to be safe. All the tests we’ve faced over the years have turned into life-changing testimonies and faith builders for ourselves and others. We’re truly blessed and grateful we decided to be dangerous.
When You Know Whose You Are You Go All In.
Everything becomes about what God wants for your life. It’s no longer about you or your desires, your comfort, or your recognition. You don’t worry about the finances. You don’t over analyze the what-ifs. Whatever God says, goes. All the chips on the table. You go all in.
When You Know Whose You Are You Don’t Care What Others Think.
“Your decision about whose you are changes everything. If you choose to follow Jesus, you are no longer your own. You are not living to please yourself or other people. Instead, Jesus is the only authority and only audience for every life decision you make.” [2] You no longer care about what others think.
When You Know Whose You Are You Find Who You Are.
Maybe you’re not with me on this yet. Maybe you’re still new to this God thing and still trying to find yourself. Find God, then you’ll find yourself. Finding whose you are will help you discover who you are. In case you need to know, here’s what God says about who you are [3]:
“Dearly loved.” (Colossians 3:12)
Forgiven. (Romans 4:7)
Chosen. (John 15:19)
“A royal priesthood. (1 Peter 2:9)
The apple of God’s eye. (Psalm 17:8)
“The light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)
Heirs with Jesus. (Romans 8:17)
Friends. (John 15:14)
What else can make you feel more secure? Knowing who you are in whose you are satisfies that ultimate sense of belonging. You won’t seek it elsewhere. You won’t care if you fit in or if what you do is popular or not. You won’t seek the crowd’s approval. No stage fright. The pressure is off. You’re not the main character. Jesus takes front and center stage. There’s only one Son, no co-star. You’re performing for an audience of One and God’s rating is the only one that matters.
So stop holding back.
There’s no pressure, only motivation. When in doubt, let God wipe it out and just do what Amber and I do. We rarely know where we’re going. So when God’s story doesn’t make sense, we just pull a Dr. Seuss on life and put our own rhyme on things.
When the fear is near we overcome it with a jear.
Or when results are at stake we just smash it with a crake.
And when people are jeoples we just focus on the reoples.
When it’s time for next steps we just prep with the leps and move forward with the meps.
The point is, you will never know for certain if there’s a jurtain behind that curtain. You just need to remind yourself daily whose you are and let God overturn those doubts. He doesn’t choose the equipped, he equips the chosen. Whatever your vision, whatever your dream, whatever your goal, if God is calling you to do something, then you have to go for it no matter what and trust that it will work out the way it’s supposed to. And it’s not about you doing God a favor for following, it’s about God doing you one by inviting you.
I have a feeling that if you’re reading this right now then you’re only one decision away from living a totally different life. What’s it going to be? Or better yet, who’s it gonna be?
If not you then who?
Why not me? Why not you?
Whose am I? Whose are you?
It’s not about us, but it starts with you.
Now get out there and live like you know whose you are today. And it may just be an absolute game-changer for you and everyone in your life.
Coach Theo
[1]: Dr. Seuss, Wocket In My Pocket.
[2]: Lead Like Jesus, Page 25.
[3]: Lead Like Jesus, Page 26.
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