Be Who God Called You to Be
Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them just as God has called them.
- 1 Corinthians 7:17
How easy is it to be what others hope you can be for them? Maybe your parents wanted you to be a great athlete or get all A’s since they knew you were smart enough, or your spouse thought you would be the perfect cook, or some other expectation. Many of us can think of incidents when we felt we weren’t what others expected or wanted us to be.
In I Corinthians 7, Paul is trying to encourage people to accept who God has called us to be. He writes that if you are circumcised when you became a believer in Jesus you should not be ashamed of that. It spoke to me in this way: if you are a Jew remain a Jew, if Gentile remain a Gentile, but don’t try to be something you are not. Also, if you are a slave or freeman—maybe today we would say if you are an employee or an employer—it matters not because we are responsible to Christ. So, if we work for someone it should be as if we work for Christ or if we employ another we are really working for Christ. We have no power on our own; we belong to Christ and all we have is His.
This reminds me personally to embrace who God calls me to be: a widow, a mother, a mother-in-law, a grandmother, a great grandmother, and so much more. But this passage teaches me who I am is not important unless Christ is leading and I’m content where He calls me to be.
We have left 2020 with its particular troubles to face other troubles and joys that 2021 may have for us. All of life has taught me I can’t control a thing, least of all who I am and where I should go. I have learned God chooses, and I need to trust, since, as Psalm 46 emphasizes, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” We all know the story of God’s call to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-9. Abraham was asked to leave his country to a new land that God would show him. I like pondering the fact that Abraham had nothing to do with God’s plan (no control). His part was to simply trust and obey.
My prayer for all of us is that we can keep our eyes on Jesus (no matter what might come our way in 2021) and be who He wants us to be in every situation.
~ Vera Grimmius