When I first started writing stories, I struggled with where this part of my life fit in with the rest. I was a youth pastor. I thought pastors needed to write devotions and sermons in order for them to be useful to the Kingdom. I wondered if crafting books about girls with swords fighting demons and slaying dragons was the best use of my time.
Perhaps that seems like a nonsensical concern to you, but to me, it was my own daunting dragon to slay in order to pursue writing with peace.
I see writing as part of my calling. I feel called to write just as much as I feel called to pastor and teach. I felt like there was a thread that would tie it all together, I just had to find it.
One morning, I was sitting in my living room talking to Jesus about it all. Really, I was complaining to Jesus about it all. I was frustrated and fearful and I needed that thread. Jesus met me in my desperation with a single word, chosen.
God desires each of us to be part of His chosen people. He chose us. He chose you. Even before we choose Him, He already loves us and extends His hand to us in grace and kindness. Not only that, He created us on purpose, for a purpose. We are chosen ones.
And I wrote about chosen ones. I wrote about girls with swords fighting demons and slaying dragons because they were born for something greater than themselves. They were chosen for a purpose and in my stories you got to see them discover and live for that purpose.
I discovered I was passionate about writing stories about young men and women discovering and living for a purpose greater than themselves because I am passionate about real-life young men and women discovering and living for their God-given purpose. That was my thread. Whether through sermon or story, I want to help people see themselves the way God sees them and discover they have value and purpose in this world and in the Kingdom.
Living chosen is to discover and live for a purpose. We each share a primary purpose, to know God and make Him known. How we do that is as unique as our individual strengths, weaknesses, gifts, and passions. Writing, pastoring, mothering, being a wife and friend; these are all avenues through which I have the opportunity to know God--to connect with and discover who He is and what He values--and they are all avenues through which I can make Him known--to share the love and Truth of the Gospel with others.
Maybe you aren't a writer or a pastor. You are still chosen. You have a purpose. You were created to know God and make Him known and you are full of gifts and passions that will help you do just that. My hope is to build a community that helps you do just that.
To that end, over the next several weeks, I have invited some special guests to offer their thoughts on living chosen. Some will share their testimonies of how they discovered their unique expression of God's purpose for us. Others will help us define what it means to know God and make Him known. I hope all of them offer you a little encouragement and moments of self-reflection on your own journey of purpose.
We also need to have a little fun. Several of my guests have offered copies of their books as prizes in a little giveaway. I'll throw in some extras because I just love treats. New posts will go up on Mondays and Wednesdays with bonus material posted to my social media on Fridays. To enter the giveaway, find each social media post and give it a like and a comment. For bonus entries, share the posts on your social media and tag me and my guest for that day. (Don't worry, I'll remind you about all this each time I share a new post on my socials.) I'll choose a winner at the end of the series in October.
*Must be a US resident to enter and be over 18 or have parent's permission.