For years, I would have told you that living chosen meant proving myself.
To me, it meant being “set apart” through meticulously good behavior, or constant positivity and a strong display of faith – even if I was crumbling on the inside (though I would never tell you that part). Living chosen meant that God had done his part to extend grace to me, and now I had to prove myself worthy of it.
But these days, I believe that living chosen means God proving himself and his faithfulness again and again, calling us for his purposes and displaying his power at work in us. It means trusting him enough to follow his call, and watching what he makes happen.
In Joshua 24, the leaders of Israel are reminded by Joshua of all the ways God has come through for them: how they escaped the nation of Egypt, won battles against much more powerful armies, and took hold of a land they didn’t build. This speech culminates in a charge: to fear that same God and serve him faithfully, giving up any other gods picked up along the way.
God was faithful to them because he chose them. Now the Israelites were called to choose God back – to trust his promises completely and live according to his instruction. Not to earn God’s favor, but rather out of an overflow of gratitude for it.
A few years ago, I started going after the possibility of becoming a published author. It always seemed like way too big of a dream, and for years I’d talked myself out of it. But God kept nudging me to take small steps in faith. Don’t give up so fast, he said. Watch what happens.
I watched as small steps in faith turned into opened doors and opportunities, like signing with a literary agent, starting a podcast and eventually getting a book deal with a publisher. To this day, I look back in amazement, because it so very clearly was God behind it all. Even the rejections and disappointments that seemed so huge at the time led to something better than I could have planned for myself.
If you’re trying to live chosen, here are three steps for you. First, look at what God has already done in your life. All the things he has brought you through, all the opportunities he’s given you, all the ways he’s provided for you – all of them have led you here.
Second, believe what he says. He says that you are beloved, intentionally designed, adopted, and chosen. He says that he has work for you to do. He says that he is working for your good and that his power is at work in you. You never go alone.
And finally, take small steps forward in faith. Don’t ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit. If it aligns with scripture, if you’re praying about it and are seeking wisdom, go for it! Be open to what God can make happen.
Live chosen, not to become worthy, but because God has made you worthy. Keep obeying, and watch how he shows up in your life.
Jenn Schultz shares about messy faith on her blog, What You Make It, and through her podcast, Called into Being. She’s a wife and mom who reads too many books at once, drinks decaf coffee, and speaks in Scripture verses and movie quotes.
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