Read: Exodus 3:1-4:18
There exists in some Christian circles a particular idol that I (Brycen) have encountered in various places over my years following Jesus. I encountered it most strongly when attending seminary. I am speaking of the idol of finding “my fit.” I overheard many conversations about the jobs guys were willing to take like, “I’d be willing to do youth ministry if I have to until I can get a different job.” You can bet I couldn’t let that one go without asking them not to disservice those possible teens with that kind of attitude. But I really got confused when the idea of picking where God might call you to serve was quantified by taking your Myers-Briggs and the generalized Myers-Briggs of the zip code you might serve and seeing if it proved compatible. Now this is extreme and definitely not normative of the attitudes of Covenant Seminary. However, we often narrow our focus of the ministries and places God might ask us to serve in the local church or in life based on what we deem is our best fit.
The danger in this attitude is that it diminishes the empowering of God in sending you out into His work in the world. Moses tried to argue that the call to lead the people out of bondage wasn’t really a good fit for him. Jeremiah argued that he was to young. Jonah thought himself not a fit with the zip code of Nineveh. Yet the answer to all of them was not in who they were or how they fit, but in who God was and what He would do despite their qualifications.
In Colossians 1:29 Paul begins a sentence that we almost anticipate going a different way. “For this I toil, struggling with all…” You expect him to say “my strength,” but the verse concludes with “his energy that he powerfully works within me.” Paul knew and Moses is told that the Lord equips the called, rather than calls the equipped.
Take time to reflect:
Have you ever found yourself narrowing the range of places God could possibly call you down to some idealized fit?
We know that the Lord gives spiritual gifts and has specific plans for us to walk in, so when is it appropriate to factor fit into the equation?
When does fit become and idol or an excuse that limits our willingness to respond to God’s call to serve in His work? What are signs that we may be looking for excuses out of certain areas of service?
Has God tugged on your heart to step in to His work in a certain area of your church, family or community and you have been resistant? Will you pray for Him to reveal any of that to you and maybe invite a friend into that process?