Scripture:Romans 8:26-30

In the same way, the Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case with unexpressed groans. The one who searches hearts knows how the Spirit thinks, because he pleads for the saints, consistent with God’s will. We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. We know this because God knew them in advance, and he decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of his Son. That way his Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters. Those who God decided in advance would be conformed to his Son, he also called. Those whom he called, he also made righteous. Those whom he made righteous, he also glorified.

Consider:

My sister is a Respiratory Therapist. She works for the overnight, weekend shift at her hospital, both for the pay differential and the lack of doctors milling about during the overnight shift. She likes the work and it fits her down to the ground - it’s quiet and consistent, requires calmness and a certain level of remove during times of stress or heightened emotions, and let’s her be available during the school week for her kids. Everything about it is perfect. For her.

In the earlier years of her career, my brother-in-law and parents, to some extent, kept pushing her to go to medical school. She never expressed any desire to be a doctor, not even as a child playing with her barbies. (Her plan then was to be a doctor’s wife and go shopping a lot). After that ship didn’t sail, they switched to getting her to get her Master’s degree so she could be the supervising RT on shift. That’s didn’t fly either.

The not so subtle message what that she was supposed to want to be a doctor. That there was something wrong with her for being satisified right where she was.

Wouldn’t you rather be in charge and, you know, make more money? And truly, she wouldn’t. If she did what the people who were pressuring her wanted her to do, she’d be miserable. And eventually they saw that too.

There is often a gap between what we are “supposed” to want or be and what we are actually called to do.

We overreach when we feel we must “earn” our place or “prove” our value through constant upward mobility. Verses 29 and 30 argue that the “calling” and “glorification” are already set in motion - and that our value is not found in our bank account or titles at work. Our value rests in God, who has a vision for who you were meant to be.

This verse suggests our purpose isn’t something you have to reach for with desperate hands; it is something you walk into with steady feet, because it suits us, it fits with the gifts we were given by the God who made us good.

Respond:

Sometimes we find ourselves doing something which makes us miserable. Life doesn’t always give us the choice to do what we want to do, but we also shouldn’t find ourselves being disconnected from our purpose.

When is a time you have found yourself trying to live up to the spoken or unspoken expectations of others? How would you decide if those expectations were right for you or unrealistic “supposed to”s?

Pray:

Gifting God,

Help us to remember you made us with specific gifts and specific purposes. Help us to see clearly past the pressures other people may put on us towards the future you have planned for us. We want to use our gifts for your glory. Amen.

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