Chosen


"You did not choose me, but I chose you," John 15:16
I was standing on the loading dock with about 100 men. I was only 16, but these were difficult days. The nation was in a recession, my single Mom was working hard to provide for 3 teenage sons, and I needed a job. The large garage door opened and 4 men with clipboards stepped out. "We only need 20 people." There had been no applications or interviews. He checked his notes and the selection process began. "I need 4 strong men." He scanned the crowd and began to point. "You, you, you, and you." What chance did I have among this group of men all much older than me? Yet, I waited as the selections continued. The final call came, "I need 4 men who can run fast. You, you, you, and you." The process was complete. On his third you I had been chosen. I got the job.
It feels good to be chosen. Whether it's a pick up game, a project, or a job, there's something special about knowing you were selected. It should make you feel great about being a child of God. God didn't settle for you. He isn't simply tolerating you. God chose you. Now you could respond by saying, doesn't God choose everyone? But, that isn't really the point. You exist by Father's design. You were formed according to His plan. You're who you are because that's who He chose for you to be. He didn't have to make you. He chose to. He chose you.
I walked through the crowd of slow losers, I mean...ummm..., other men, with a smile on my face. I couldn't help it. I was chosen. Walk into your day with a smile as well. Your God's child not because you looked good on the application. He simply picked you. 
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart," Jeremiah 1:5

 Following the Son,
James A Williams

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