Chosen

I’ve been reading The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer, and it has really caused me to look at several areas of my life a lot differently. In the book, Shirer outlines thirteen resolutions designed to inspire self-introspection and implementation of real change in the way we approach life and relationships.

Resolution #3: I will accept and celebrate my uniqueness, and will esteem and encourage the distinctions I admire in others.

I have no issue with the second half of this declaration; it’s the beginning, the I will accept and celebrate my uniqueness part with which I have a problem. I’m edging closer and closer to the big 4-0 and only this year have I begun to truly accept myself for who I am. It’s been a long process, a journey of epic proportions, but with God’s help I’ve made it. But the pledge doesn’t stop there, it becomes even harder. I must vow to celebrate my uniqueness. Really? Celebrate my uniqueness?! That’s easier said than done – I know me, and trust me, I’m not that great.

And then I read:

I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. – Jeremiah 1:5

Choosing, as it is used in this verse, denotes a knowing. His choice of you was based on a deep, intimate knowledge of who you are. So even if you simply cannot fathom why God would choose a person like you to participate in a particular activity, He Himself is well aware of His reasons. He has selected you, and everything about you, to participate in the work He is doing at this point in history. – Priscilla Shirer

We are each known and chosen by God. We are each uniquely designed to meet the specific needs of those around us. We are each who we are on purpose, by His design. 

That, my friends, is something to celebrate.