Nothing has marked the last decade or so of my life more than the feeling of inadequacy and confusion about what I’m even doing here on earth.  I know I haven’t found all of the answers, but I am more certain than ever that God gives each of us a calling of some kind – a purpose beyond ourselves that will somehow honor him.  Have you found yours?  While some of the imagery in Jeremiah can be difficult to understand, read the first chapter if you never have.  God calls Jeremiah, just like he calls each one of us.  Up until the blank, this is directly quoted from verse 5: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my __________.”  The verses that follow are a discussion between Jeremiah and God; Jeremiah immediately points out his limitations, and God rebuts him with, “Don’t say _______.”

I’m still trying to fill in my blank, and I know it has more than one answer: I am a wife, a leader, a volunteer, a writer…  I will no longer say, “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not talented enough” or any other excuse I throw at God.  I am what he created me to be, and that’s enough.  To deny his power and ability to work through me is to deny God’s character; every excuse I offer is really just a form of unbelief.  What fills in your blank?  It can never be blank; there is always a purpose for you on this earth, or you wouldn’t be here.  What should you stop saying right now?

For a really long time, I had two specific screen savers on my desktop at work and on my laptop.  One said “Jeremiah 29:11” which says, “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'”  The other was a quote from a Tony Evans sermon I heard on the radio about that verse: “You’re still here.”  That was the answer to the question he posed, “How do you know God has a plan for you?”  If you’re still breathing, there’s something left for you to do here on earth.  It’s that simple: fill in the blank.