Chosen

I hate making decisions.  I am always so nervous I am going to choose the wrong thing that I would rather just let other people decide for me.  I’m not even talking big decisions; I’m actually pretty level-headed with big decisions (with the exception of deciding to go on the World Race, but that’s a story for another day…).  The decisions I am talking about right now are the tiny insignificant ones.  What do I want for dinner?  What movie do I want to watch?  What music do I want to listen to in the car?  What cereal should I buy?

I know it’s absurd how hard these meaningless decisions are for me to make, but let me tell you why I struggle with them so much.  I don’t want to be disappointed with my choices.  I want to enjoy my morning cereal, thank you very much, and I can’t do that if I pick the wrong one.  So I debate and analyze and compare and go over pros and cons in my head until I finally land on a decision.  And you know what?  I usually enjoy my cereal.

This all sounds silly, but in all honestly, it means a great deal to be chosen.  Why do you think so many kids cry when they are picked last in gym class?  Obviously, my cereal choice doesn’t really matter that much, but knowing that I, a ridiculous messy human, have been chosen by the King of the universe matters a great deal.  It changes everything about who I am and what I’m about.

“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.  In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will—to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.”  [Ephesians 1:4-6]

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be chosen.  I think being chosen means to be carefully picked out for some purpose.  Being chosen means you are wanted and desired, pleasing and acceptable to the one doing the choosing.  There is a great deal of love and security behind knowing that you have been chosen.  It means you’ve been seen as good enough to satisfy the purpose in which you were chosen for.  It means you are valued and seen as worthy.  So, to be chosen by the God that made the earth and stars and galaxies carries an incredible amount of weight.  I am wanted, desired, chosen by the King.  I have been chosen to be saved [2 Thessalonians 2:13], to receive an inheritance [Psalm 33:12], and to be adopted into His kingdom [Ephesians 1:5].  That’s an incredible identity right there.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”  [1 Peter 2:9]

Here’s the thing, along with being chosen comes a great deal of expectations.  I was chosen for a purpose.  I was chosen to bear lasting fruit [John 15:16], to be holy and blameless [Ephesians 1:4], to not belong to the world [John 15:19], and to be conformed to the likeness of Christ [Romans 8:29].  Hold up.  I don’t think I am the one He wants for all that.  I mean, I was never the one to be picked first in gym class, is he sure He knows what He’s doing?  Those are some lofty expectations for a puny little human like me. 

But I have been chosen.  It’s funny that the very thing that ascribes us a great deal of responsibility is also the thing that gives us the strength to rise to the occasion.  Being chosen calls me to be more, to rise up and meet the bar set for me, and it is knowing that I am chosen that gives me the faith and boldness to even reach for that bar—to run the race set out for me.  I serve a God that doesn’t make wrong decisions.  So if He chose me, He must know what He’s doing.  He must know that I’m not worthless.  He must know that I matter.  He must know there is more to me than I think there is.  He must know way more about me than I do if He is choosing me to be on His team.  And even beyond that, He must really love me if He’s willing to love me when I fail at all of those responsibilities.  And I will fail, because I am human and I am broken.  But I am loved by the Creator.  I am chosen despite my imperfection, for an incredible purpose.  I am adopted into His royal family and I get all the perks and all the expectations that come with it.  It won’t be easy, but I’ll take it.

So hello, nice to meet you, my name is Patty, and I am a daughter of the King.

Also, I thought of this after I wrote this, silly, but extremely applicable :)