Jeremiah 1:1; 4-10
The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah,of a priestly family in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin.
The word of the LORD came to me thus:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
"Ah, Lord GOD!" I said, I know not how to speak; I am too young."
But the LORD answered me, Say not, "I am too young."To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Have no fear before them,because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.
Then the LORD extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying, See, I place my words in your mouth! This day I set youover nations and over kingdoms, To root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant.
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This is today's first reading, and it's beautiful.
God has plans for us from before HE formed us in our mother's wombs. He is the creator of all things, and he created us. For a purpose. Each of us individuals was put here ultimately to be an extension of Him, in some way or another. Our job is to bring ourselves to Him, listen to His call, and understand what He wants us to do.
In all likelihood, we can't even dream of the plans He has for us. His ways are so great and so far above ours that we can't see the picture he's painting. Do you think Jeremiah grew up dreaming of becoming a prophet? Or even wanting to become a prophet? I personally doubt it.
But Jeremiah did a great thing. He responded to the Lord's call. He told God of his shortcomings. God told him not to worry, and that HE would take care of all of that. He filled in for Jeremiah's shortcomings.
That, personally, gives me a lot of hope and confidence. To some degree, I'm waiting for what God's call for me is in my new setting. I understand what I'm supposed to be doing professionally, and with my family. I don't know what my spiritual mission is here in Omaha yet, though. Quite frankly, I'd thought it was going to be to care for my mother as she got to the end of her life, but she passed away before I got here. So it's something else, something God hasn't quite shown me yet.
I have total confidence, though, that he WILL show me what He wants, and that He'll give me what I need to make it happen. That's exactly how He works. He did it with Jeremiah, Elijah, Moses, Abraham, David, and countless others that we read about in the Scriptures.
Just gotta sit back and let it happen!
