- with Caryn Rivadeneira, Director of Care
Caryn Rivadeneira 00:08
Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose of the Word of God. It's Wednesday, January 26, and Sundays Comin'. This is Caryn Rivadeneira. I serve as Director of Care and Worship Planning. And I'll be reading from Jeremiah 1:4-10. "The word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.' 'Alas, Sovereign God,' I said, 'I did not know how to speak: I am too young.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say I am too young. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you, do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.'"
Caryn Rivadeneira 01:08
Have you ever been deemed "too" anything? Perhaps too liberal, maybe too conservative, too feminine, too masculine, perhaps too sharp, too slow, too aggressive, too quiet, too attractive, too plain, do weird to normal. Maybe just too, too. If you have, you're in good company, good biblical company, as we read here in Jeremiah. And I believe God has a word for those of us who have ever been considered to anything. Well, Jeremiah doubted his calling because he was too young and too ineloquent — cuts that otherwise and indeed reprimanded him for even questioning God's call. Don't say you're too young cuts that 'go and do what I say.' And don't be afraid. I'll give you what you need. Turns out, it didn't matter what Jeremiah thought of himself, or what others said about Jeremiah, or how they saw his calling or leadership. What mattered was how God saw Jeremiah. And God saw and called Jeremiah before he was even born. Before he had a chance to become to anything God said, You're the one for this. This is good news for those of us who have wrestled with or doubted our callings or had others doubt them, even when they've been crystal clear words from God. While affirmation from others in our calling is a good and often necessary thing. When God calls us to do something, to be something, it ultimately doesn't matter what others have to say. If God says we can, we can, who God says we are, we are. And just as we can never be "too" anything to be loved by God. We are never "too" anything to be used by God. So today, if you're feeling like God is calling you towards something toward something terrifying even, don't be afraid. Don't be embarrassed. Don't worry about the naysayers. Get good counsel. Tell good friends about what God is calling you toward. But don't let those niggling doubts from yourself or from others, about not being enough, or about being too much derail you. God's words to Jeremiah, remind us what God does for us on that promising a pain-free journey. We do know that if God calls us, God goes with us. If God calls us God prepares us. And if God calls us, God provides a path and sometimes even a new path if people try to stand in our way