Saturday, July 18, 2009

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

1 Corinthians 1:26-31


Brother, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential, not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”



WOW! The first sentence is enough to contemplate for DAYS….



“BROTHER, THINK OF WHAT YOU WERE WHEN YOU WERE CALLED.”



It has taken me about 5 minutes to get past this sentence just to write this…WOW, what a STATEMENT!



I can look back on my life and realize how things have worked together to put me where I am today…and I feel that there are times where I go through things now and I know while it is happening that there is a reason for it, but I’m not sure what, YET. (Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, ”plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”)



In my calling to be a nurse:



  • the struggle just to get it out of my mouth, just to tell somebody that I felt the call to BE a nurse – knowing that I would be told that I would “never make it!”,

  • attempting to get into school,

  • after YEARS of attempting to get into school, finding out I was pregnant with Logan,

  • putting school off,

  • finally getting into school and overcoming the insecurities not being smart enough to pass school,

  • making it through school with no money to EAT with or feed our child,

  • overcoming the insecurities of the knowledge that I didn’t know that I had in the ICU,

  • having to be on my own in a truly scary position as I traveled as an ICU nurse and at MMRC where I was completely alone with really sick people,

  • interviewing and accepting a job in long term care that I knew NOTHING about,

  • overcoming the insecurities of the knowledge that I didn’t know that I had in the long term care setting,

  • developing into a leader and overcoming the insecurities of the knowledge that I didn’t know about leadership

  • overcoming the insecurities of everything that I thought I knew, when other people judged me and terminated me (I really let that one rip up my mind!)

  • Accepting very difficult positions as director and leader of troubled homes, watching them change and become better, but not taking the credit for all of the work that had been done to accomplish it, (I have since learned to take credit, but give ALL of the credit to God and His guidance)

  • Losing a friend to the ego that he succumbed to, but more importantly, gaining the knowledge OVER my insecurities that I actually do know what I am doing in long term care, and leadership, and the one thing that I hope never to forget is this: “think of what you were when you were called.”
(There seems to be a common thread....could I be insecure??)



This is NOT the complete timeline of events leading me to where I am now in His Calling, but it is a little timeline for the things that I have note as significant along the way. (Ephesians 1:11 “Even when we’re blind to the evidence, God works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His Will.”) There are so many side branches to each one of these limbs of the tree (Philippians 2:13 – “God works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”), and some of them I will probably explore in these ramblings…but, at first glance, I am always in amazement as God uses His Word to show me how I fit directly in His plan….



In the scripture, it says, “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”



I fit the bill for:



  • Not wise by human standards,

  • Not influential;

  • Not of noble birth;

  • Foolish,

  • Weak,

  • Lowly and despised


All of the above!



At the beginning of this “timeline”, I was so weak (I couldn’t even tell anyone that I wanted to be a nurse because I KNEW that they would not think that I was capable of it.) I remember one time (I must have been about 12) when I said that I wanted to be a nurse, but my friend, Sandy, and my mother said, "You're too compassionate to be a nurse. You will cry all the time!" (Well, I do cry all the time...at the bedside of my dying patients, when someone is hurting, when I want to do MORE and I can't...I cry a lot).

I was not wise by human standards (most people would have probably just sat on a waiting list of nursing schools until they get in, but I had the wonderful idea of moving across the country with no money or job or support of any kind and doing everything the hard way…that certainly didn't work out!)

I was certainly not of noble birth. I’ve never had anyone that I can off the cuff remember “pulling strings” for me.

I was very foolish (among MANY other things, the moving across country had to be one of the silliest things I ever did!).

Not influential (I think at that point in my life, if I talked to anybody, it certainly wouldn’t influence them in anything but the fact that they should pray for me because I did not have a clue about anything in the world! Honestly, people probably thought I needed to be locked up somewhere to prevent me from hurting myself with my stupidity).

Despised is a little difficult for me because I really don’t think that I have ever been despised by anyone and as for

lowly, in the early stages of my calling, I was lowly in almost every aspect of my life….financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually…so, probably more than any of the other points being made, lowly fit me the best.


I can see as the “timeline” progresses, I have become less of every one of these traits, but I still have a LONG way to go…I am still weak and foolish, still have no influence, and still am not wise by human standards, but only in areas that God is not ready to develop in me. In many ways, over the last 11 years, God has, in His Timing, taught me as I needed to know, about the calling to be a nurse in the role that He has established for me. He is in control of this life that He gave me, even when I think I am in control…even when I have taken over and told HIM that He was not in control, He has never let me fail so miserably that I couldn’t get back up, brush it off, and continue the call. He has always been a loving and caring Father, a disciplinarian, a guide, a nurturer, and a safety net (because I am His child.)


Isn’t it awesome that we serve a Living Savior that not only uses us in our weaknesses to minister to other people, but also teaches us through our weaknesses how He has so enhanced our lives and points out blessings that we can only have received had it not been for His Divine Intervention in our lives. I often learn more about situations when I look back at how far I’ve come…how I am prepared by Him (Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, ”plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”) to have “such a time as this…” (Esther 4:14 – “…and who know but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”).


Based on all that I have learned, before accepting His call to this vocation and since that time, I can look back and see how I have grown in His Love and Wisdom. I also see how much more I need to fully let Him control my life and this calling, and just be appreciative that I get to go along for the ride! What an awesome adventure He has chosen me for…






As an aside, Jeremiah 29:11



For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, ”plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.



The Lord DECLARED this – He didn’t just say it. He didn’t just pass it along for someone to write down, He DECLARED it.

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