…so that you can do what you’re meant to do.
When I was in college in Portland Oregon, a friend of mine came to me and said that he and his family wanted to go to Asia as missionaries to do the work of the Lord. The church I attended at the time said they would send them, but first they needed to serve that same community within our city. There is a large Asian demographic in Portland and the thought was for them to learn the culture and minister to the people here. The church wanted them to be the missionaries they were called to be now, before they left to do what they were called to do.
We wait so often. We wait for the right surroundings, or the right time, or the right circumstances. We have this thought, that suddenly when we are where we were called to be, we will be the person we should be. I feel like we’ve all found this to be untrue. We’ve all shown up, expecting to respond the way we should, but having no practice, we fell short. God has called you to have the character of Christ everywhere; not just in the moments we see as important. Our identity is in the Lord, not in the work.
Don’t get me wrong, we need to do the preparation so we can handle the workload, but that doesn’t mean our character needs to be less in the preparation. Another example that proves this point is about a good friend of mine who is a musician. When he was in his early twenties, he decided to write songs and record them. These songs were written in direct response to the things he dealt with as a young Christian man. When I asked what the purpose of this was, he said, “I know one day I’ll have kids, or at least young people I want to pour into and help. These songs are for them. To help them navigate this time in their lives.” Before he ever had children, he was being a father.
We don’t always know where, when or how God will use us. 2 Timothy 4:2 says to “be ready in and out of season” to do the work. If we know when the work is, it makes it easier to slack off now being who we are supposed to be. But if we are the person we are meant to be today, right now, maybe God would be able to use us that much more. You are known to God as He has created you to be. A great scripture in Jeremiah tells, “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.” – Jeremiah 1:5
Be who you are supposed to be, so you can do what you were meant to do.
Rene Solis
Director of Koinonia School of Ministry
He can be reached at ksm@kcfchurch.org
