The Power of Being Chosen

Part of being a writer is learning to deal with rejection -- with not being chosen.   Whether I’m submitting poems to a magazine, queries to agents, or pitching on Twitter, rejection has become a normal part of my existence as a learning, growing author.  I long for the day my story, poem, or pitch is chosen. . .we all long to be chosen -- to be judged worthy or valuable.

Earlier this school year (before Corona ended everything early), my first graders did a performance.  For each performance, I have students who read in between, introducing the next song or giving some brief interesting information tying one song to the next.

The night of the performance, one of my first graders brought me a folded up note and a precious gift -- a tiny purple pebble (think fish aquarium gravel :-)  As I unfolded the note, I saw that it was a thank you note for choosing her.  Out of all of first grade, I had CHOSEN her to be a reader, a speaker, a special part of our performance.  She was grateful.  She understood the power of being CHOSEN. . . .






​Do we?

Do we understand that in this world, we have been CHOSEN?  The scriptures have a lot to say about being chosen.  Here are a few examples. . . .

1 Peter 2:9
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
 
Romans 8:33
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
 
1 Thessalonians 1:4
We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.
 
Revelation 17:14
Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.”
 
All of us who have chosen Jesus have also been chosen BY Jesus.  You were chosen!  Just like my student, we have the choice to accept our chosen-ness or to say, “No, thank you . . .I don’t want to be chosen.”  Some of the students I chose did not want to be chosen.  Some of them didn’t want to have to put in the effort that being chosen brought.  Some of them didn’t feel worthy of being chosen.  Some of them allowed fear (of a big audience, of making a mistake, of not being good enough. . .) to interfere with their chosen-ness.
 
We have the same option.  God chose you.  Jesus chose you.  The Holy Spirit chose you.  Will you choose them in return?  Will you choose to be chosen? Will you choose to let go of the fear?  Will you choose to put forth the effort?  Will you choose to rest in your worthiness?  Will you answer yes with gratefulness and say, “Thank you, God, for choosing me!” and then live out that gratitude by showing others that they, too, have been chosen?!
 
My prayer is that we will understand the power of being chosen, accept the call and show others the value in being chosen by the King of the Universe!

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