5Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before
you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to
the nations- that's what I had in mind for you." 6But I said,
"Hold it, Master God! Look at me. I don't know anything. I'm
only a boy!" 7-8God told me, "Don't say, 'I'm only a boy.' I'll
tell you where to go and you'll go there. I'll tell you what to
say and you'll say it. Don't be afraid of a soul. I'll be right
there, looking after you." God's Decree.
_________________________________________________________________________
What do you want to be when you grow up? Over the years, we have
all answered that question countless times with many different
responses. We start answering this question as a toddler, and
many adults are still asking themselves this question today.
When we were young, we would give answers like: a princess, a
ballerina, a super hero, etc. As we get older, the answers change
to doctor, fire fighter, teacher, accountant, librarian, etc.
When most of us are asked what we want to do when we grow up, we
usually answer the question with a vocation. Perhaps it would be
more accurate to answer in terms of WHO we want to be as a
person when we grow up.
When it comes to plotting and planning what we will do with our
lives, we seek things that we believe will bring us fulfillment.
We plan for the future by filling it with things that will make
us happy; after all, who plans for a bleak future? So if we
value wealth, we will strive for an occupation that makes us
money. If we value education, we will become teachers. If we
value family, we might plan our career decisions around
providing for a stable family environment (insurance, mortgage
payments, vacation time, etc). We like to guide the direction of
our lives, after all who else to better guide our lives than
ourselves?
In all our plan making, have we ever stopped and asked God what
God wants us to do with our lives? In today’s scripture, we
witness Jeremiah receiving his life’s call from God. God tells
Jeremiah that he knew him and had plans for him even before he
was born. I wonder if Jeremiah had other plans before God
intercepted and changed the course of his life? Although many of
us want to leave our mark on the world, I am not sure that
Jeremiah would have chosen of his own fruition to be a prophet
of God. Who wants that job? Prophets speak Truth into a world
that is lost. Prophets speaks words that others don’t want to
hear. Prophets don’t follow society’s goals and ambitions, but
chart a new course from God. Prophets are generally not liked.
Do you trust that God also has plans for your life? We are not
all called to be prophets. Just as Jeremiah’s call was unique to
himself, so too each of us has a unique calling in life. It does
not matter what age we are when we find it, especially as it
might change and develop over time. God assures Jeremiah and us
by saying, “I'll tell you where to go and you'll go there. I'll
tell you what to say and you'll say it. Don't be afraid of a
soul. I'll be right there, looking after you.” Believe that God
knows you better than you know yourself. Know that God has plans
for you. The best thing that you can do when you grow up is to
trust God to lead your life.
Prayer: God, you know me better than I know myself. I know that
you have plans for me. Where you lead me, I will trust and
follow. Amen.
