Becoming More of Who We Are

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

Jan 12, 2026

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child… when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.” — 1 Corinthians 13:11

This weekend I was in New York. I stood inside a sanctuary filled with song, liturgy, memory, and the gift of generations. I watched a young teenager step forward to mark his coming of age in the Jewish tradition—to receive Torah not as a child protected from responsibility, but as a full participant in the life of his people. It was his bar mitzvah.

So many moments in the service were profound, but one moment in particular undid me.

After the Torah had been passed hand to hand—from grandparents to parents to child, from lineage to future—the rabbi turned the young man to face him. He placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders, looked him in the eyes, and spoke words that felt as old as faith itself and as urgent as this very moment:

You are GOOD.

You are loving and loved.

You are kind and compassionate.

All we ask of you, as your community, is that you become more of who YOU are.

It was not a charge to perform. Not a warning about failure. Not a demand to prove worth. It was a blessing of recognition.

It struck me that in Jewish tradition, coming of age is not about becoming someone else. It is about assuming responsibility for the goodness already present. Torah does not ask this young man to be perfect. It asks him to show up—to take responsibility for his words, his actions, his impact on the world.

I left that sanctuary thinking about how many of us are starving for that same blessing.

So many of us have been formed by fear, by scarcity, by the quiet suspicion that we are not enough. We have learned to motivate ourselves through critique rather than truth. We push harder, numb faster, and forget more easily who we are beneath the exhaustion.

In Judaism, every human being is created b’tzelem Elohim—in the image of God. In Christianity, God’s love is not earned but given before we ever respond. It’s called prevenient grace.1 In Islam, the divine breath animates every soul. In Buddhist teaching, our deepest nature is not hatred or greed but awareness and compassion obscured by suffering.

Across traditions, the wisdom converges: we are not broken at the core. We are good.

These days feel unbearably heavy. We are living inside grief layered upon grief—violence, injustice, fear, betrayal, the slow erosion of trust. It would be easy to forget who we are under that weight. It would be understandable to shrink.

But coming of age—spiritually, communally, humanly—does not happen when life gets easier. It happens when responsibility deepens.

The world does not need us to become harder, louder, or more ruthless. It needs us to become more ourselves: more honest, more grounded, more capable of love that does not look away.

To become more of who we are is not self-indulgence. It is moral courage. It is choosing to live from the truth that we are loving and loved, even when the evidence around us tempts despair.

Perhaps this is what this moment is asking of us—not heroics, not perfection, but maturity. A willingness to carry what is ours to carry. A refusal to abandon our goodness. A commitment to give the world not a false self shaped by fear, but our truest selves shaped by love.

You are good.

You are loving and loved.

You are kind and compassionate.

And the world, in all its aching need, is asking you—asking us—to become more of who we are.

We are in this together,

Cameron

Reflection Questions

When was the last time someone named your goodness without asking you to earn it?
What parts of yourself have you been withholding because the world feels too heavy or unsafe?
What would it mean, in this season, to take responsibility not for fixing everything—but for showing up more fully as yourself?

A Prayer for the Day

A Blessing for Becoming

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Holy Mystery,
Source of life and love,

Remind us who we are
when fear tries to name us otherwise.
Restore us to the truth beneath our exhaustion.
Anchor us in the knowledge that we are loving and loved,
not because we have succeeded,
but because we belong.

Give us the courage to grow into our responsibility
without abandoning our tenderness.
Help us become more of who we are—
for the sake of one another,
for the healing of the world,
and for the love that refuses to let us go.

Amen.

Spiritual Practice

Receiving the Blessing

Sometime today, pause and place one hand over your heart and one on your shoulder.

Say slowly, out loud if you can:

I am good.

I am loving and loved.

I am kind and compassionate.

Then add this final line:

All that is asked of me is that I become more of who I am.

Notice what stirs—resistance, grief, relief, longing. Do not correct it. Simply receive the blessing. Let it settle where it needs to land.

That is enough for today.

Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

January 15, 2026, 7-8pm EST - FREE Online Webinar: When the Internet Hurts: The Hidden Online Dangers Facing Our Teens and How Faith Communities Can Respond, Join me in conversation with Sharon Winkler, survivor parent and nationally respected youth online-safety advocate. Sharon’s son, Alex, died at age 17 after experiencing cyberbullying and algorithmically targeted pro-suicide content. Since then, Sharon has dedicated her life to helping parents, educators, and faith leaders recognize online dangers and build safer communities for young people. Register here.

NEW!!!! February 5, 2026 - Margaret Wheatley and and I are launching a new online course called “Leading with Spirit,” a six-session journey into soul-grounded leadership designed to deepen your trust in guidance, nurture perseverance, and rekindle imaginal wisdom for our fractured world. Take a look at the course outline. We are really excited and hope you can join! Scholarship are available if needed. Learn more here!

February 11th and 25, 2026 - Join Our “Building a Culture of Leadership Within Congregations” Cohort facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin Ross and me! A two-session course for ministers and faith leaders ready to strengthen how their congregations and ministries identify, develop, and support leaders. Learn more here.

July 19-24, 2026 - Join me and amazing co-facilitator, Victoria, on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.

I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.

Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…

I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.

Have you heard about the Franciscan Federation? I absolutely LOVE these folks and am excited about the future they are envisioning. If you want to learn more about Franciscan theology, check out their extensive website of resources. This world needs more Franciscan-hearted people. Count me in!

Are you a recovering evangelical leader in search for a network of people who understand your journey? Jonathan Foster and friends have launched the Curian Network. It’s a denominational space credentialing and resourcing pastors, chaplains, spiritual directors, and counselors in this wild day and age we live in.

If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.