Popular expressions that appear to be true
By: Deborah Schroeder
July 10, 2025
One of the joys of mid-west condo living is this:
someone else takes care of landscaping, leaf
blowing, and snow removal! In 2020 my husband
and I retired to a scenic community on the west
coast of Michigan. Located on the third floor, our
condo balcony overlooks the Grand River, which
flows out to Lake Michigan. In am writing this in
the month of July. It’s the months of spring,
summer, and fall that we enjoy the brilliant colors
of nature all around us. Last year, a beautiful
cluster of Hydrangeas was planted outside our
elevator tower. They bloomed in shades of bright
red with a touch of pink, and we enjoyed passing
by that striking bush as we came and went.
As summer made its way into fall, we noticed something unique about this Hydrangea bush. As
the bright colors began to fade—some getting crispy and turning brown as you see at the top of
this photo, and others losing their original sparkle—one new flower burst through the leaves. It
was lavender! In the midst of flowers that all looked alike, here was this very unique blossom
that really stood out.
Isn’t this what parents hope to see in their children? The ability to stand out in the crowd, a
unique, perhaps extraordinary individual that causes others to say, “Wow! Is that YOUR kid?”
With all the emphasis on a child’s self-esteem, a phrase has emerged that does sound
encouraging, and many have adopted as truth. The phrase is this: You can be anything you
want to be! You just have to put your mind to it. Let’s think about that for moment.
In 1992, the Ms. Foundation for Women in New York City launched Take our Daughters to Work
Day. Employees could take their daughters to their jobs to give them exposure to some of the
career options available to them. The first celebration took place in 1993, and it has grown into
a national and international event. In 2003, the program was expanded to include boys and was
renamed Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. (https://en.wikipedia.org)
During the early 1970’s I finished college and entered the workforce. There were basically three
career options for women: nurse, teacher, or secretary. I majored in Secretarial Administration.
It was assumed that most women would marry, have children, and manage their homes and
families. There is nothing wrong with these 4 professions (nurse, teacher, secretary, home
manager). In addition, there was value in exposing adolescent girls to many other career
options. It opened the gateway for girls to expand their search for a meaningful vocation. All
good.
But telling our children—sons or daughters—they can be anything THEY want to be could set
them up for failure. Tom Rath said it well in the introduction to his book titled Strengths Finder
2.0 (2007, Gallup Press). “…Each person has greater potential for success in specific areas, and
the key to human development is building on who you already are.” He also said, “You cannot
be anything you want to be—but you can be a lot more of who you already are.”
Rath’s words supported profound statements in the Old Testament:
Jeremiah 1:5 – (The Lord is speaking to the prophet Jeremiah) Before I formed you in the
womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a
prophet to the nations. (ESV)
Psalm 139:13-16 – (King David is speaking to the Lord) For you formed my inmost parts;
you knitted me together in my other’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully ad
wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame
was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret intricately woven in the
depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written,
every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of
them.
There is something I have never been invited to do, and for good reason. No one will ever ask
me to sing a solo at someone’s wedding, funeral, or during Karaoke at a private party. Not
unless the intent is to get everyone rushing for the exit, running and never looking back. I am
tone deaf. If you said to me, “Deb, give me a G,” I am clueless as to what tone to hum. And I’m
okay with that. I enjoy listening to those who have the gift of singing. But imagine what would
have happened if my parents had told me I could be anything I wanted to be. I could have had
all the determination in the world to work at getting better at singing. Yet, others would still
have been chosen over me for singing parts—and rightfully so.
The verses above tell me that God knits us together in the womb—our personalities, our
abilities, talents, strengths, are all wired into us well before we slide down the birth canal. It is
not a matter of becoming what we want to be, but of asking God to make clear His good plan
for us. It turned out part of God’s plan for me was to be His instrument in connecting women
with His Word. I’ve spent 40 years mentoring younger women, leading women’s Bible studies
or retreats, and speaking at various events. I have loved how the Lord has used me to share His
Word with others.
If you are a young person, be encouraged. God’s good plan for you is already in place! You
simply need to ask Him to reveal that plan to you. If you are parent, and you want to guide your
children as they prepare for adulthood, be encouraged! God’s good plan for your children is
already in place!
When he was born on December 17, 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) probably had no
idea the Lord gave him the ability to compose classical music that is still played today! His home
life was dysfunctional, but he found relief with another family. Beethoven became deaf in the
later period of his life. As his hearing loss worsened, Beethoven composed many of his most
admired works. He died in 1827 at the age of 56. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org).
Let’s rethink the idea of telling our children they can be anything they want when they grow up.
There is a much better way to guide them. Pray for and with your children that God will make
clear His amazing plan for their lives. And the rest will unfold into a “Hydrangea” that stands
out among the others, not for the notoriety of your child, but for the glory of God. It will be a
story you tell your grandchildren!
