“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
—Jeremiah 29:11
About a decade ago, shortly after my divorce, I came across this verse as part of a daily devotional reading. It all but leapt off the page when I read it; speaking to a myriad of concerns I had about the turmoil into which my life had fallen. It was a boon to my angry and grieving soul. At the time, I rather short sightedly assumed that this verse had been given to me simply to help me through that specific period of my life. Indeed, I was given almost daily reminders of this promise. I would see these familiar words everywhere: on social media, on little knickknacks in a store, on billboards on the side of the road. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this promise would continue to unfold for years.
About five years later, during another tumultuous time of life when I was between jobs, I moved back to a small town that I thought I had left behind long before. I was extremely frustrated by this change of plans. But God, who is always faithful, reminded me–once again during another daily devotional–of the treasure of the Jeremiah promise. This time, however, I felt impressed to go back and read the entire book. When I got back to chapter 29, I noticed the background to the popular eleventh verse. The prophet is telling the Israelites that they will soon be taken captive by the Babylonians. But instead of being upset about this impending exile, the prophet tells them to put down roots and “seek the welfare of the city…for in its welfare, you will find your welfare.”
Once again, I had another “aha” moment. While it is true that I had not moved to Babylon, I did feel as though I had been exiled to a certain degree. Even so, following the Spirit’s prompting, I began to put down my own roots and seek out ways that I could invest in this community to which I had returned. One of the things I did was to find ways in which I could become more involved with the little church I had begun attending upon moving back to town. It started out fairly small: we didn’t have a music minister so our priest was playing the hymns via a Midi computer program. Rather than him having to walk over to the organ every time there was music during the service, I offered to sit by the computer and hit “play”. Over time, that small act of service progressed to me becoming the music leader. Again, time passed and I was given the opportunity to teach Christian Formation classes. Now, nearly six years later, I am a postulant for ordination.
Seeking to become ordained clergy was not something that had ever been on my own agenda. God’s ways are not our ways, but he is always faithful. Now, every time the Spirit leads me into a new facet of service, I am reminded of the promise: “I know the plans I have for you…”
—Nancy Gill
Postulant for Holy Orders, School of IONA