If we're honest, a lot of us probably wouldn't pick ourselves. We know too well who we really are. What's been done to us. What we've done to others. We carry scars, secrets and shame that often weigh on our sense of worth. Now, we dress ourselves up for everyone to see. There's a mask for pain and a smile to hide our insecurities. But we're still left with a full measure of self doubt.
That said, I hope this is an encouragement for you: Have you ever noticed the Bible doesn't always look to clean up its heroes?
In the Bible, time and time again, God is willing to look past who we really are. Moses was a murderer with a temper. Gideon was so afraid he had to see a sign from God--twice. King David played the harp, but he also played with people's lives. And Peter was pretty good at putting his foot in his mouth, if he wasn't denying he even knew Jesus.
And yet, God used them. Not after they got their act together or passed some spiritual test. God called them in the messiness of their lives. I imagine if I had been looking in the moment, they might have seemed like foolish choices.
I also assume the apostle Paul really believed he wasn't the wisest of God's choices. So, it was easy for him to challenge the Corinthian Christians to reflect on their calling. They weren't wise or strong or powerful. But they chose the foolishness of God's wisdom as their lifeline.
When we choose the cross of Jesus, we don't choose power defined by the world's wisdom. We're actually choosing a cruciform life. A life shaped by humility, obedience, sacrifice and solidarity with the least of these. In the cross, the world sees weakness and failure. But it's in the so-called foolishness of God we find the true power of God.
So, no, you may not have chosen yourself, but God chose you! Let the world boast in its riches. Let the powerful boast in their strength. But let us boast in the Lord.
Stay blessed...john |
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