June 19

Call of Isaiah

             In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple.  Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.  And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”   Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.  The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

Isaiah 6:1-8

    

            Isaiah has seen God and is distraught.  He knows that he is a broken and sinful man and that when fallen man comes into the presence of a Holy God, mankind is overwhelmed and dies.  God spares Isaiah and cleanses him, inviting him to become a prophet in order to bring God’s message to His people.  Isaiah has no special training, no skills that naturally equip him for this task.  He simply heard God ask who to send and he responded.  He believes that God will be with him and give him the words to speak and the instructions to follow and the power to achieve whatever God wants to achieve through His prophet.

            What God calls us into, He also equips us for.  That is true for vocations.  If God calls you to be a teacher, He provides a passion for learning and the ability to connect with students.  You feel most alive when you are awakening the minds of others.  You still have to put in the work and persevere through the challenges and creatively use all of your tools to achieve your goals…but He has given you all the tools that you need.

            What God calls us into, He also equips us for.  That is true for relationships.  If God calls you to be married to someone, He provides opportunity to be together and a common calling.  He gives you the ability to communicate on a level that no one else shares.  There is the ability to laugh together and cry together and build a life and a family together.  You still have to put in the work and persevere through the challenges and creatively use all of your tools to achieve your goals…but He has given you all the tools that you need.

            What God calls us into, He also equips us for.  That is true for parenting special needs children.  Your child was not given to you at random.  They are far too precious to be entrusted to just anyone.  God prepared you for years before your child arrived.  He taught you strength and compassion.  He taught you endurance and tenderness.  He taught you hope and faith.  Whether you spent any time around disabilities or not as you were maturing, there have been people and situations and circumstances that prepared your heart, mind and body for the challenges of parenting.  You still have to put in the work and persevere through the challenges and creatively use all of your tools to achieve your goals…but He has given you all the tools that you need.

            We were not like Isaiah in that most of us did not volunteer.  Some of you did.  You encountered children with special needs that needed a home and you said, “Here I am.”  You are amazing and those children are so blessed to have you.  The rest of us were chosen.  But we stayed.  God’s invitation came in the form of our little boys and girls and when the challenges became apparent, you had a choice to stay or leave.  You stayed and you accepted God’s call.  Well done. 

            As you look at your life…as you look at your child…as you feel the weight of responsibility and feel unequipped to handle this…remember that God has been working in you for your entire life to prepare you for this moment.  He has been molding and shaping your life so that you can give the very best to your child.

            What God calls us into, He also equips us for.

A moment to reflect:

How have you been prepared to specifically care for your child?