Doris Diener, motivated by curiosity and a passion to facilitate faith, wholeness and the release of the best in others, is a seasoned educator of students of many ages and locations. Former Minister of Mennonite Women for Southeast Mennonite Conference, she and her spouse, Larry, live in Souderton, Pennsylvania.

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’
Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me,
‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.’
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.’ Jeremiah 1: 4-10

“What do you sense God is calling you to be, to do?” “How is God working in and through you?” “How do you see your gifts fitting into the work of God’s kingdom?” So often, the responses of professing Christ-followers have been ambiguous or a simple, “I don’t know.” “I never thought about it.” “I don’t have any idea what gift(s) God has given me.”

Jeremiah knew. He knew he had been approved, consecrated and appointed. It wasn’t his choice and he didn’t even want the task God had given him—even before his conception! It wasn’t about his age, his intelligence or his abilities. This task God had given him did not promise an extended party; rather it completely consumed him and swallowed up his life. Actually, it really wasn’t about him.

Mary knew. She didn’t understand, but she knew that she was favored by God. This child she was now bearing overruled her dreams, plans, traditions, the legal code and even the natural processes of humanity! It wasn’t her choice. It placed her in a vulnerable situation in the communal life of her family, her husband-to-be and her friends. It clothed her life in uncertainty that gave way to suffering and new revelation. In truth, she wasn’t the primary focal point either.

Jesus knew. He knew he was going to be misunderstood, tortured and killed by those he loved. His mission consumed him as he, the Creator, subjected himself and became the created. He didn’t fit, he didn’t belong, he couldn’t hobnob with equals even though he healed, encouraged and gave new life, new hope and new vision to all those whose perception escaped the earthbound. He too obeyed, giving everything and keeping nothing for himself—not even his life.

God breaks into the reality of our days and doesn’t accept excuses to his assignments. “Do not say,” he said to Jeremiah. “You will do it. … And, don’t be afraid, because I am with you…” Somewhere in the obedience package is the equipment that is needed to do the job. It was there for Jeremiah, Mary and for Jesus. I wonder, might it be there for us too?

Jeremiah’s calling was about a man and a nation that God wanted to reconcile to himself and required Jeremiah’s reminders of God’s message. Mary’s calling was to be the bearer, the gateway, of God-to-earth in a physical form. Jesus’ task was about bringing truth and life and being the sacrificial reconciler to God for all of creation. But God’s intentions don’t stop there.

As Christ’s followers, we too have been impregnated by Deity and given an assignment. In the cacophony of our environments and perhaps our impaired receptors, it is easy to miss. When we hear its whisper, it is easily rendered impractical, unrealistic and/or too demanding. We also believe ourselves to be unqualified and incapable, and indeed we are, without the equipment that God has every intention of providing when we commit to obedience—the only response he will honor.

Perhaps the biggest stumbling block is that God’s work is not predominantly centered on us. What if it really does take over our lives, interrupting everything that brings us comfort and stability? What if we have to stretch beyond the familiarity of our traditions and our culture? What if it really isn’t about us, our pleasure and preferences?

Just like these biblical followers, we don’t choose our calling either. God calls individuals, nations and peoples, and we each have a place in this big picture-to do our part in “uprooting and breaking down strongholds, of destroying and of overthrowing idolatry and unbelief, of building dwellings of Life and Truth and planting God’s kingdom on earth,” whatever that may mean for us.

And may we know, or at least have a tinkle of a clue, about our place of belonging in God’s plan.

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