Earlier this year, as part of my personal Bible study, I made a deliberate decision to narrow my focus. Rather than trying to read widely, I chose to read deeply.
I shortlisted four books of the Bible to journey through intentionally: the book of John, the book of Psalms, the book of Proverbs, and the book of Ephesians.
Recently, while reading Ephesians, something unexpected happened.
I got to chapter one — and I stopped.
Not because the chapter was unfamiliar. In fact, it was the opposite. I had read it many times before. I had skimmed it. I had quoted parts of it. I thought I knew it.
But this time, verse one slowed me down.
In the version I was reading — the Easy Version, commonly known to many as the Yoruba Bible — Paul introduces himself in a way that struck me differently. It reads, in essence:
“I am Paul, an apostle, and I am what God wants me to be.”
(Ephesians 1:1, paraphrased from the Easy Version)
That phrase lingered:
“I am what God wants me to be.”
Paul was not merely stating a title. He wasn’t announcing a position for recognition. He was making a deeply personal declaration of alignment.
And it forced me to pause and ask a difficult question — not about Paul, but about myself.
Are You What God Wants You to Be?
There are many people God has called.
Many who identify as Christians.
Many who are active, gifted, busy, and even successful.
Yet calling alone does not automatically mean alignment.
Paul didn’t say, “I am an apostle because I chose it.”
He didn’t say, “I am an apostle because people affirmed me.”
He said, “I am an apostle because this is what God wants me to be.”
That distinction matters.
Because it is possible to be doing something good — and still not be doing what God wants now.
It is possible to occupy a role — and still be out of season.
It is possible to be sincere — and still be misaligned.
So the question becomes unavoidable:
Are you what God wants you to be?
Not yesterday.
Not five years ago.
But now.
Rethinking Purpose
When we talk about purpose, we often speak of it as a single destination — one big thing we are meant to do with our lives.
But Scripture, and lived experience, suggest something more layered.
Purpose is not always one grand assignment.
Often, it is obedience over time.
It is responding to God’s instructions per season.
And the accumulation of those instructions — faithfully obeyed — begins to form what we later call “purpose.”
Paul did not become “Paul the Apostle” in a moment.
He became Paul by consistently aligning with what God wanted him to be at each stage of his journey.
Which means purpose is not only about where you are going.
It is also about whether you are aligned where you are.
A Question Worth Sitting With
Ephesians chapter one opens with theology, identity, and calling — but before all of that, it opens with alignment.
“I am what God wants me to be.”
That is not a casual statement.
It is a settled one.
So perhaps the most honest spiritual question is not:
- What is my calling?
but rather, - Am I aligned with God’s will for this season of my life?
Because titles can be assumed.
Roles can be inherited.
But alignment must be discerned.
Reflection
Take a moment to sit with these questions:
- Are you what God wants you to be right now?
- Is the role you are occupying aligned with God’s will for this season?
- If God were to describe you today, would your description match His instruction?
Purpose is not rushed.
Alignment is not noisy.
But clarity often comes when we are willing to pause — like Paul, and like this verse invited me to do.
Sometimes, the most powerful progress begins with a pause.