[Note: The following post is adapted from its original version which was published on March 20, 2012.]
Ziggy is a cartoon character that was launched by Tom Wilson the year I was born (1968). Ziggy has a rather unimpressive appearance. He is small, bald, and barefoot. He has been described as always being one step behind, one nickel short, one lane away from the fast lane. Poor Ziggy never seems to catch a break!
That's probably why Ziggy has so many fans. For in Ziggy they see a reflection of themselves, and the many misfortunes that come his way remind them of their own life experiences. In fact, this was precisely the case with Ziggy’s creator, Tom Wilson. The Associate Press reported,
The name Ziggy derived from his father’s school experience of being the last alphabetically. When a new classmate arrived beginning with “Z,” the idea took root with the friendly sounding “y” ending, such as Billy or Tommy. “Ziggy is a last-in-line character,” the son said in a phone interview. The last picked for everything and kind of a lovable kind of loser character. [Today show website]
When I was a kid, my parents got me a T-shirt with Ziggy on the front saying, "I've Gotta Be Me!" Looking at that statement from a Christian standpoint, it can be viewed as either positive or negative, as true or not true.
Looking at it negatively, we can say that it is not true as it concerns sinful traits and patterns in our lives.
A Christian brother who has an anger problem says, “I can be a bit of a hot-head, but then I cool down after a while. That’s just the way I am. I’ve gotta be me.”
A Christian sister is known for being obnoxious. She prides herself on “speaking her mind,” describing herself as one who “tells it like it is. That’s just the way I’m wired. I’ve gotta be me.”
Each of these two cases conveys a sinful pattern — not a personality trait — that must be addressed. This is not a matter of “teaching an old dog new tricks,” because we are human beings, not dogs. Furthermore, if we are in Christ, we are a “new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Scripture says “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life … and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:23-24).
When it comes to sinful traits and patterns, I don’t gotta be me. In fact, I gotta kill me [self] and become like Christ. Thankfully, God has made this possible by his Spirit, giving us the power to change. This is the only way to truly live (Rom. 8:13).
With this in mind we can also take to heart the quote “I’ve Gotta Be Me!” in a positive sense, stressing the blessed uniqueness of our individuality. This has to do with aspects of our person that distinguish us from others. Such features would include our personality, skill sets, spiritual gifts, and more.
Paul testified in 1 Cor. 15:10, "By the grace of God I am what I am."
The first part of the verse — the realization that who we are is the work of God’s grace — keeps us from pride.
The second part of the verse--"I am what I am" — keeps us from wishing we were someone else. Instead, we strive to become all that God has created us to be. That's why Paul goes on to say in the second half of the verse, " … and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them — yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me" (1 Cor. 15:10).
Earlier in life and ministry I squandered much time wishing that I was different or more capable than I am, rather than going all out in God's strength to reach my full potential in Christ.
This reminds me of another cartoon I watched as a kid. It was called "King Leonardo and His Short Subjects." One of the main characters was Mr. Wizard the Lizard who lived in the woods at the base of a tree. He was often visited by Tooter the Turtle (pictured below with the Wizard), who wondered what it was like to be someone else.
So with a wave of his arms, Mr. Wizard would send Tooter Turtle through time or space to experience what it was like to be a gunfighter, police officer, sailor, or whatever else Tooter wished to be.
The climax of each story would occur when Tooter would get himself into an awful, inescapable predicament and cry out, "Help, Mr. Wizard!" Upon hearing the cry, Mr. Wizard would utter his magical chant, "Drizzle, Drazzle, Druzzle, Drome, time for this one to come home!" In a matter of seconds, Tooter would make it back, safe and sound. At that point Mr. Wizard would give him the wise counsel that would conclude every episode: "Be what you is, not what you is not. Folks that what is, is the happiest lot."
That’s bad grammar but good counsel. Don’t try to be someone else. Be all that God has called you to be in Christ!