“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”
The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,
“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
Today I appoint you to stand up
against nations and kingdoms.
Some you must uproot and tear down,
destroy and overthrow.
Others you must build up
and plant.”
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Yesterday, I unfurled some of the serious (and humorous) fears I possess. But none of those have wreaked more devastation than that of insignificance. Throughout my life (and even from time to time still), I splash around like a drowning victim gasping for significance. As a kid, I dove into books and learning. While I developed a life-long love for reading, I couldn't find fulfillment in them. Next, I tried athletics. And I excelled at every sport I played. There are trophies littering a trash dump in Dallas, Texas to prove it. My search continued to intensify as I joined the underground art and music scene. I eventually got in a band. Wrote and screamed lyrics and poetry. Authored a book or two. And despite the writing dealing with that very issue, I found no significance in the process. If anything, it made it worse. As the addictions to sooth this increased, life then became truly insignificant. I gave up.
In the midst of all this, I collided head-first into GOD’s unfailing love and grace. And things changed. For a while. One danger we must be aware of as believers is that, although we are new creations, the old nature tries to rear its head from time to time. And that’s what happened with me along the way. Eventually, I bought into the lie that Jesus wasn't enough. That despite being his, I was lost among the other 10 billion people on the planet. That I need to write about this complexity and confusion. That I would become a published author. That I would be revered by millions.
By reading this passage of Crazy Love and, more importantly, the passage from Jeremiah, I’m reminded that we are significant because GOD loves us. And if we need more than that- he knew us before we existed! He thought each of us up and then created us. I realize what I’m about to write is far from literary, but -WOW!
Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 57-60 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski
