As I drove through the center of town, I stopped at a traffic light near the glass building of a big-time consulting firm. In the parking lot, two men, wearing expensive suits and slick sunglasses, stepped out of a Lexus and walked toward the building. They were probably returning from a late lunch, and they reminded me of two of my business friends who now met for monthly lunches without me.

For several years, one had considered quitting his job as an operations vice president and enrolling in divinity school. He sensed Christ's call to ministry; however, he struggled to abandon the prestige of his current position. "People respect me because I control hundreds of employees," he once confided. "I've invested over twenty years in making a name for myself in the business world. If I give this up to become a student and then a rookie pastor, I'll lose that investment."

My other friend came from a family where the men often died before reaching the age of sixty. He obsessed over money---trying to ensure that his wife and three children were provided for after his death. As an attorney, he earned well over six figures and lived in a four thousand square foot home. He worked at least seventy hours each week, and sometimes worked through the weekend---skipping church to complete his tasks. "After I'm gone, I want people to know that I took good care of my family."

I watched as the two men in the parking lot walked into the building, and the glass doors closed behind them. The sun would probably be down by the time they passed through those doors again.

The quest for worldly status traps many men and women. We seek an identity through work, power, or wealth, but those worldly goals only seduce us into forgetting our baptism in Jesus Christ---forgetting that we were reborn through faith. As Paul told the Galatians, we are all "(children) of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of (us) who were baptized into Christ have clothed (ourselves) with Christ." (Galatians 3:26-27)

I need to have faith. I need to remember my baptism. God had already justified me "freely through His grace." (Romans 3:24) Regardless of whether I stayed home with the kids or worked as a business executive, my Creator---not my job---would give me my greatest self-worth.

The traffic light turned green, and I drove away from the office building and headed home.

Over the next few weeks, I focused on my identity in Christ Jesus and embraced my role as a father. I returned to the morning carpool line clean-shaven and with confidence that I was following God's will. I looked into Lauren and Jared's eyes when I said, "I love you." When I pulled out of the parking lot, I glanced into the rearview mirror and saw a smiling father looking back. Thank you, God, for this priceless opportunity.

At the grocery store, I learned to find the juice and bread, along with everything else. Tonya taught me to cook some great meals, like chicken cordon bleu and homemade pizza, with hardly any explosions at all.