In the Revised
Common Lectionary used by the Episcopal Church, one of the Old
Testament readings for this week is the following:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
The word of the LORD
came to me saying,
"Before I formed
you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born
I consecrated you;
I appointed you a
prophet to the nations."
Then I said, "Ah,
Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." But the
LORD said to me,
"Do not say, 'I am
only a boy';
for you shall go to all
to whom I send you,
and you shall speak
whatever I command you,
Do not be afraid of
them,
for I am with you to
deliver you,
says the LORD."
Then the LORD put out
his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me,
"Now I have put my
words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you
over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull
down,
to destroy and to
overthrow,
to build and to plant."
For many of us, the last
few weeks have been the waning days of summer. No matter what the calendar
tells us, summer ends with the first day of school. Some U.S. school
districts have already begun the school year. Others, like our local district, will
begin this week.
As we begin the school
year, it wouldn't be surprising if we -- students, teachers, parents, family
members -- felt as Jeremiah did when he said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I
do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." I know I have felt
"I do not know how to speak, for I am only..." Fill in the
blank -- only a woman? Only a homemaker? Only a teacher? Only
a lay person? The list of "onlys" can go on.
God has the answer to
that: As he told Jeremiah:
"Do not say, 'I am only a boy';
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you,
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the LORD."
The key words here are
"go to whom I send you" and "speak whatever I command you."
When we listen to God with careful prayer and discernment, we are acting
in accordance to his will. We can be confident that God is with us, and we can
move forward without fear.
In my case, I'm the
grandparent of a boy with diabetes. I am his caregiver while my daughter
works during the day. There will be many times in the school year when I
may be called to advocate on his behalf in order for him to get
the accommodations he needs to be successful in school. This is
my calling, my God-given role for this time in our family's life.
God will give me the
strength and wisdom to advocate on my grandson's behalf, to assist his mother
in his care, and to speak with authority regarding his needs.
What has God called you
to do? Where has he sent you? Spend some time with these verses and
see where he leads you.
