Quirks Can Show Your Purpose

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14 KJV

When I was a freshman in college, I relished in being able to have my tiny dorm room to myself. Any time my roommate was out, I made excuses to stay in. People would stop by to ask if I wanted to go the cafeteria, or the movies, or some cool event being hosted on campus, and I always had a reason not to go. At the time, I didn't realize that I was an introvert; I couldn't explain why I did this. I liked my friends and when I did hang out with them, I had a good time, so why was I so eager to not hang out with them?

This is a good time to explain what introversion actually is. A huge pet pet peeve of mine is that majority of people I meet think introvert = shy and extrovert = outgoing. What they associate with introversion is actually closer to social anxiety. Introversion and extroversion are not about how anxious you get around people, they're about what recharges or drains your energy. When an extrovert is feeling down, they might attend a concert or go out to eat with friends. An introvert, on the other hand, is more likely to stay in and play video games or read a book. Extroverts get energy from being around people (re: having external stimuli) while introverts get energy from time alone (re: having internal stimuli). You can be shy and an extrovert (I know a shy extrovert, actually) and you can be an outgoing introvert (if I'm in a room of people, I'm going to talk, but I'm going to have zero energy the next day).

Over time, I realized that anytime I didn't get adequate time alone each day, or rather, the more time I spent in a crowd, the more exhausted I was the next day. In Sabbath school, my peers would often remark how humans were created for relationship and community, which made me wonder about my introversion. If God wanted me to enjoy being around people, why did I feel so drained after potlucks and game nights? Was something wrong with me? Introverts around the world are forced to take on extroverted traits to succeed in the world and often we are ostracized and misunderstood. It's very easy to slip into the feeling that introversion is something that needs to "fixed." Even recently as I discussed the desire to make meaningful friendships in my new location, someone repeated it back to me as "hoping to be less introverted"—no, I don't want to hang out every week and have girl chat every night; I just want a few people that I'm willing to drain my battery for once a month or so... I don't want to get my energy from these people.

When COVID-19 forced us home from work, I realized that I was born for a time such as this. I witnessed people struggling with isolation, but after only a week, I couldn't fathom how I had been going in to the office and talking to people every day. I spent those first few weeks thinking about what life will be like during those finals moments described in Revelation. Most of the world will be corrupt and true believers will have to be comfortable holding their own. COVID-19's forced isolation showed me that I would not be bothered by such an existance. During that time I found reassurance that the Father did mean for some of us to be introverts and others to be extroverts. Both have purpose in our society and while introverts may feel drained in large crowds, we're really good at meaningful conversations in more intimate settings, which is also important in a community!

Jeremiah 29:11 says He knew us before we were created in the womb. He knows all that we will have to bear in life and all that He has for us to accomplish and thus He creates us to be successful in that purpose. Esther was placed in the position of Queen to save her people, but it wasn't by chance. Everything from the way she looked to her personality was just so. That is why the king chose her over all the other women. She was created to fulfill that mission. I was created to be comfortable in solitude. You were created for such a time as this as well. Where-ever you are, whatever quirks you have, they have purpose and so do you!

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

What is Valentine's Day

² This is what the Lord says:
Do not learn the way of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the heavens,
although the nations are terrified by them,
³for the customs of the peoples are worthless.
Jeremiah 10:2-3 CSB

In the 5th century, a pope "converted" the Roman festival of Lupercalia [3] to the Feast of Purification, which became our modern Valentine's Day [2]

The massacre I remembered is from 1929; it has nothing to do with the origin of Valentine's Day, though I've definitely had people bring it up when the date is talked about.

Bible verses to reference

• Deuteronomy 14:2
• Revelation 18:4
• 2 Corinthians 6:17
• 2 Corinthians 7:1
• Romans 12:2
• 1 John 2:15-16
• Matthew 6:24
• 2 Corinthians 5:17

References

1. "St. Valentine's Day Massacre". History. February 5, 2020
2. "Valentine's Day". Encyclopædia Britannica. April 18, 2019
3. "Lupercalia". Encyclopædia Britannica. November 8, 2016

Jeremiah 1: Jeremiah's Call

Introduction

The first chapter of Jeremiah introduces us to both the prophet and the plight of the Israelites living in Judah. It sets the tone for the chapter as a whole. Within the first couple verses we get a detailed timeline of when Jeremiah's ministry begins (13th year of King Josiah's reign) and the state of Judah at the time.

Who Is Jeremiah?

Jeremiah is identified as the son of Hilkiah. Hilkah was a priest, which means that he, as well as Jeremiah, is from the Tribe of Levi. The Levites, having no inheritance in the land, lived in various cities throughout the other tribes' territories. Jeremiah and his father were from the city of Anaoth, in Benjamin, which was located in Southern Israel (usually referred to as Judah).

The Message

God gives Jeremiah a message to deliver during the 13th year of the reign of King Josiah. Josiah was one of Judah's better kings. Despite taking the throne at only 8 years old and being the son of Judah's worst king, Josiah finds his was to God after 8 years of reigning (5 years before Jeremiah's message). This is important because it sums up and embodies the whole of the message (see 2 Chronicles 34-35). Josiah was the son of Manasseh, one of Israel's worst kings. This is probably why he spends the first few years of his reign not in accordance to God. But when Josiah discovers God, he quickly repents and begins making changes in the city. He removes the idols, tears down the pagan temples, and has the Word of God read to the people. Because of Josiah's actions, he (along with the city) are spared from harm.

The whole of Jeremiah's message is a call to repentance, just as Josiah had demonstrated. God was promising that if the Israelites did as Josiah had done, they would remain in His good graces. However, God already knew they would not heed His call. The juxtaposition of the final fate of Israel, who did not repent, and Josiah, who did, is something we should remember throughout the book.

Jeremiah's Time

Jeremiah's call for Israel's repentance doesn't end with Josiah; he prophesies during the reign of Josiah's son Jehoiakim all the way through the time of Zedekiah. Jeremiah remains steadfast in preaching God's Word through the destruction of Jerusalem and the final deportation of the Jews to Babylon.

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.Jeremiah 1:5 KJV

Jeremiah was called to this mission before he was even conceived in the womb. Can you imagine being called to a purpose before your parents even came together to create you? It seems impossible, but when I think back on my own life, there are things I've been drawn to without explanation. Some ideas, hobbies, occupations, etc. just feel right. I imagine it's because each of us have been ordained with a specific purpose. It may not be as grand as Jeremiah's or it may be just as grand, but it's our purpose nonetheless.

Age

Jeremiah didn't think he was the man for the job because he was "too young." What is too young? When I was in my teens, Bible teachers used to use these verses to encourage us that even as kids we may be used by God. It's probably the verse people used to justify the 12 year old who became a pastor back home. While it may apply to kids, the older I become and the more I study the word (and live), I've realized that Jeremiah could have been 30 years old and referred to as a youth.[2] Now that I'm 30 myself, I understand how what we as teens considered an adult could be viewed by more seasoned adults as a youth, and how they could be doubtful of their abilities. In your teens you feel like you know everything, but some time in your mid to late 20s, you start realizing you don't know anything! The Bible doesn't specify how old Jeremiah actually was, so all we know is, he wasn't an elder.[2]

The important point made was that it wasn't Jeremiah who would be speaking; God is always the star of the show. We are merely vessels He uses to get His point across. It doesn't matter if we're 10 or 100, as long as we say exactly what He tells us, the message is the same. The power comes from Him, so in the end our age doesn't really matter.

Interesting Fact

When God tells Jeremiah that He will give him the words, the Hebrew word used is dabar (דָּבָר). Dabar actually meads "word, event, or thing." In Hebrew, words and actions are essentially the same thing. God is not just promising Jeremiah a transcript of a speech, He's promising the action of delivering the speech. This includes stage presence, authority, confidence, an audience, etc. God doesn't half step; when He calls us for something, He has everything we need already in place.

Prophecy

The first vision given to Jeremiah consists of an almond tree, followed by a boiling pot that faces away from the north. God explains that nations from the north will encircle Judah and bring calamity. The reason God will allow this is because Judah has turned away from God and is worshipping idols. The kingdom in the north is Babylon, who invades and conquers Judah in Jeremiah's lifetime, just as God said.

Ears to Hear

God warns Jeremiah that people won't listen to him and encourages him not to be discouraged. This message resounds with me because it is something we can really relate to today. Jeremiah was speaking words given to him directly by God—truth, given to him by God—but the people didn't want to hear it. In today's society, the same can happen to us. We get fired up because God has revealed Himself to us, but when we go to share our experience with others, we are met with deaf ears. This can be discouraging and heartbreaking. For some it can cause them to question what they've experienced. However, God is telling us in advance that only certain people will receive His message. Our job isn't to worry about the reactions, just to deliver the message so that those who might hear, can do so.

Protection

Not wanting to hear the truth can lead people to violence. People become enraged with those who don't just go with the flow and who stand up for God. A common theme throughout all of history is the persecution of God's people. We see this right from the beginning, with Cain killing Abel. When we stand for God and share His message, we essentially put a target on our back. That prompts fear in a lot of us, which is exactly what Satan wants—us to be too afraid to do the work God has called us to do. Knowing this dilemma, God makes Jeremiah (and us) a promise that He will walk with us through these trials. He promises to build Jeremiah up so that he can withstand any adversity that comes his way. Just as God does this for Jeremiah, He does so for us.

References

1. Ree Hughes. "2 Chronicles 34&35: Josiah". PSALMS to God. March 2017
2. "Q&A on Youth". La Vista Church of Christ. 2016

Jeremiah

Although the Book of Jeremiah is the second of the major prophets, it is the longest book of prophecy in the Old Testament with 1,364 verses. In the book, Jeremiah gives us plenty of information about himself; this book contains more information about the author than any of the other prophetic books in the Old Testament.[1] We know that Jeremiah was from the town of Anathoth. Anathoth was a city of refuge (Number 35) in the land belonging to the Tribe of Benjamin.[2] This identifies Jeremiah as a Levite.

You Are Not Alone

Season 1 Episode S

Why did I come out of the womb
to see only struggle and sorrow,
to end my life in shame? Jeremiah 20:18 CSB

Did you know many of God's people experienced depression? I was reading Jeremiah this week and he said something that really stuck with me...mainly because many of us have said it before: "Why did I come out of the womb to see only struggle and sorrow?"

What's Your Purpose?

Many of us know we have a purpose, but most of us don't know what that purpose is. We've been taught so many different things about how to find our purpose--there are whole books on the subject. But sometimes it's all the other programming that has us confused. I may not know exactly what my purpose is, but I have a feeling I know what direction it's in.

Season 1 Episode M

For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 CSB

00:01:02	Hey guys welcome back to the PSALMS to God podcast. So at the beginning of the episode, I read Jeremiah 29:11; and y’all I never thought that was where one of these episodes was going to go, because it's such a popular verse. I mean it's hanging on the cube at my job. I've heard people say it all the time people, quote it to people to help them get through certain situations, and it's fairly self-explanatory. Like what is there to talk about? God has a purpose for you. But I realized, just today actually, I was on my way to lunch and I had one of those moments that I used to have when I was a lot younger. And basically you know, I was walking and I just kind of stopped walking, and I'm just like standing in the parking lot. And I just felt like standing there for a while like I didn't really have this great motivation to go forward or to go backwards. It's like a weird contentment in the moment. It's like “Oh, the sun's out. The the sky looks nice. I just want to stand here and just be here.” It's like a really weird feeling that I used to get ‘em all the time when I was a kid, when I would be running around outside—generally when I’d be going back and forth in my neighborhood. I would just stop and just stand there. I don't... I don't really know. Y'all, I’m weird, OK? I'm admitting that.
00:02:49	When I thought about it, of course, it took me back to when I was a kid. It also reminded me of something else, and that is, the things that make us go forward in life, the reasons that I would get up and go to school, because y’all, like most people I really did not like my school—my middle school and high school in particular, but a lot of the reasons that I got up and went to school or that I was excited to go to school had to do with the fact that I was looking forward to something. Sometimes I was looking forward to band, most of the time I was looking forward to band. But sometimes I was looking forward to a dance, or maybe I had a crush on somebody and I was looking forward to seeing that person. Or maybe I couldn't wait to hear how something went that one of my friends was going through, or I just want to go hang out with a friend, or something like that. And then of course, you know, like I said at the beginning of the show, I love food, so sometimes I was looking forward to what they were serving in the cafeteria—that was also a thing[1] but nonetheless there was something that was pulling me forward. That was a future hope, I guess. It was “Oh I can't wait for this to happen.”
00:04:11	And one of the things that I realized as I got older, is that there are less milestones, so to speak. You know, when you're really little you can't wait to be a teenager, you can't wait to get your license, you can't wait to be old enough to vote, to move out the house, to go to prom, to go to college, to vote—what? I already said vote. I don't know, just there's like a lot of firsts, right? You can't wait to get married. There's like a lot of things that you can't wait to do, but as you get older a lot of these things are done. You’ve already moved out; now you don't want to age. Like you don't want to get any older. You know, you done found the one. You’ve gotten married; you've had your kids. All you’re looking forward to is retiring, and then there's a point where you’re retired and you're just like “ain’t nothing left to happen except for to die,” which is depressing...
00:05:07	And so I was thinking about this. And I was thinking about The Purpose Driven Life.[2] My friends and I read The Purpose Driven Life a couple of months ago and I was thinking about how purpose and this kind of hope that propelled me when I was a kid are intertwined.
00:05:30	The Bible clearly tells us that God has a purpose for us—that's the whole point of Jeremiah 29[3], and we already know this. That's self-explanatory, and we hear this verse and it reminds us, and we feel great, but a lot of times we don't know what that purpose is—and it's a lot bigger than being excited about one event or two events, you know. It's a lot deeper than that and so I wanted to talk about finding our purpose.
00:05:59	When I went through The Purpose Driven Life series or the book with my friends, we did a book club. We talked about a lot of things, and you know, you can talk through it but I mean you can pray about it, but a lot of times we still get to the end and we're still like, “I don't really know what God wants me to do.” And sometimes that's—OK, all the time that's frustrating because you're kind of just trying things out. Like “Let me try this over here. Nope, that's not working.” Then you go try this over here. Nope that's not working, and so there's just a lot. A lot that goes into finding contentment. And being excited about life comes from having this purpose, and fulfilling that purpose. So it's really important for us to find the purpose.
00:07:08	When Derrell was on the show—I think this is... OK, y’all I'm sorry because as I told you the last episode it's a two-part episode. I can't really remember if this is already aired or not, but spoiler alert if it hasn't aired, he talks about how his pastor told him that if something bothered him that was his calling. I realize that there are things that we get really, really passionate about and then there are things we don't care about at all. And it's the things that make us really passionate that are tied to our purpose. How our purpose works into that again, yeah I'm going to I'm going to say the age-old you got to pray about it. But it's interesting because it's almost the exact opposite of what I was taught growing up.
00:08:04	My dad used to always tell me to play to my strengths. So when I got ready to go to college and I was looking for a major, the easy choice was that I would go into STEM because math was easy for me. It's true, I cake walked through my undergrad program. It didn't phase me. There was no stress. It was just like “Oh, yeah numbers.” But the reason math is easy,[4] is because it's numbers like what's there to argue about? It's just concrete. The reason I had so much trouble in my other classes—in my history classes, in my English classes—is because it's extremely subjective, and I was extremely passionate about my view of whatever was happening. Whatever twist on history the teachers were giving I was extremely passionate about getting it right. I was extremely passionate about my writing. Y’all, I feel away when people critique my writing. Even to this day, like you can tell me that I messed up the math problem and I'm like “Oh yeah, I messed that up. My bad.” If you tell me you don't like my one of my poems or something I’ve written, I feel that deep into my soul. Like it's a different kind of hurt and offense that goes on there. And that's because that is a passion.
00:09:33	And what I realized is that even if things come easy to you and you're able to do it, that might not be your purpose, because what what is going to keep you motivated is something that you're passionate about—something that grinds your gears. You might get mad—red hot, screaming, flipping tables mad about it, but that's because you care about it.
00:10:03	I read a book a couple of months ago (again) called Just Mercy[5]— highly recommend it to everybody it's called Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. It’s a wonderful book; be ready to cry—but in the book, it's a true story about Bryan Stevenson, the author, and about how he started out as a young attorney taking trials or taking cases of people who were wrongfully condemned, or who have been condemned beyond reason. Like the punishment was too excessive for the crime. And so he was taking on these cases, particularly for poor people and for minorities who have been victimized by the system. And the about of time and effort and hours that he was putting in for these cases because his heart was in it, because he loved it. It's just... Knowing that kind of passion is clearly what was making him get up everyday. Like he was he cared about what happened. Je cared about the outcome. That is what we all have to find in our path. What is it that we cannot sleep at night over?[6] Like how we get this resolved?
00:11:27	Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Diana Simumpande And as much as I am good at what I do, y’all I am not losing sleep over my job, not at the moment. But I do... I have had those moments with computers.[7] I have had those moments where I stay up all night because I just want to have the problem done, but really the things that make me stay up at night are usually the things that I write about on my blog. They're usually the things that I end up putting into a story, putting into a poem, talking. Y’all I talk to myself I feel bad my future husband I talk in my sleep sometimes. Sometimes I have whole rants; I should just record myself when I go to sleep, that might be interesting... Tangent. Sorry guys. I'm back. I'm back.
00:12:21	What I'm trying to say is, find what you're passionate about! Don’t let the fact that it's tiring push you away from it. I think that we all have a purpose and that purpose is not easy. It's something that will make you stay up at night. It's something is going to make you mad it's something that's going to make you say that you feel like you can't do it, you can't do it alone, you need help, because God created you to rely on Him to help you to accomplish whatever it is that He has for you to accomplish. So do not back away. Do not back down from the things that are hard that you feel passionate about. And that is something that I have to remind myself everyday.
00:13:10	So find your purpose; I'm still looking for mine. I'll let y'all know when I find it. Could just be me talking, but I don't think that's what it is. So find your purpose. Thank you for tuning in; subscribe, like, find me on Instagram. Y’all I never really say my name on this, I just realized that. This is Shiree, shiree.hughes on Instagram. Find me. See you guys next time. Bye

Footnotes and References

1. Thursdays were fried chicken day (back when I still ate chicken this was exciting)!
2. Rick Warren. The Purpose Driven Life. 1997
3. Well, that’s the point of Jeremiah 29:11, there’s a lot more to the chapter as a whole.
4. Easy for me, is what I mean here
5. Bryan Stevenson. Just Mercy. 2015
6. I promise it made sense when I thought it
7. I was really passionate about my dissertation. It was about using sensors to monitor food waste and help us waste less food