Sent

John 1:6-9 "There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world."

John's life purpose was pretty clear. He didn't need any self-help books, or to go somewhere to find himself. No plan, no organizer or time management system focus on roles and goals. John's parents knew from the get-go why he was here, and so did he.

I think it's hard for us to imagine what it must have been like to be John. We were raised with the idea that we could do anything we wanted. We chose our educations, and our careers, and our spouses. In fact, it can be hard to know God's will for our lives because most of the time His call is to a close relationship with Him rather than a specific place or job.

We don't know what it's like for there to be a single reason for us to be here, a single thing for us to do. We get lost in the choices.

John's job was to witness, to make sure people didn't miss the fact that the Messiah was coming. He came to testify, that "through him all men might believe." In that way, he was second fiddle, kind of an advance man sent to draw attention not to himself, but to Jesus.

I wonder if we should feel so different from John. Is it a stretch to say we're sent here for a single reason? After all, we exist for the glory of God; that's the sole purpose for our lives. It involves things like praise and obedience and, yes, following in John's footsteps by pointing to Jesus. But there really is only one reason for our presence here on earth.

Makes me wonder why it seems so hard to figure out sometimes. And why so many other things bog me down. Maybe if Gabriel had showed up to announce my purpose to my Dad (and struck him dumb, because Dad would have had something to say back) I'd feel like I was sent, too. But the fact is, I only have to open scripture for the announcement to be made.