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Verse:The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples. . . . But it was because the Lord loved you and kept [his] oath. —Deuteronomy 7:7, 8, NIV
I was serving as a volunteer when I met a drama queen.
I am sure you know what I mean. I remember looking up the signs of histrionic personality disorder I had learned in school, and while I was unable to reach a conclusion, I wished she would take the test. And then I began to wonder if I was any different. Most books and movies are centered around a main character or a lead character—be it a person or a group fighting for a common cause. The weak fighting the powerful and evil.
And even movies with multiple leads center around the lead character. I concluded that I saw myself as the main lead in the story of my life.
Not that I was more selfish or self-centered than others. I have volunteered throughout my life, but as I thought about my deeds, my service, my own good, and my salvation, I realized there was nothing I could bring before the Lord.
I had no contribution to make for my salvation. It is His gift alone. Though I am the lead character in my own life, I am the second lead in the lives of those closest to me and an extra for most other people. Understanding this truth helped me put things into perspective. I realized that not everything is about me. People have bad days.
What I think may be the best option is likely just one of many options. We do not always choose the best option, but hopefully we will choose to help one another and move forward together. But these were not the greatest revelations, even though I am grateful for the changes they brought to my life. The greatest discovery was that my life needed to have a different lead character. Jesus is where my focus needs to be. He is the One who has made all things possible through His sacrifice. I am a lump of clay in His hands that He is molding and making into a vessel fit for the purpose He has chosen. “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” (Romans 9:21, NIV). The One who has set His affection on you and me does it not because of what we can offer but because of who He is.
Anamaria Maier