Become Who You Were Born to Be

Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3

There's a scene in the Lord of the Rings when Elrond, King of Rivendell gives Andúril, the reforged sword from the shards of Narsil, to its rightful heir--a rogue who goes by the name Strider. But Strider is no ordinary ranger--he's Aragorn II, heir of Isildur and the rightful king. He's been resisting the shadows of Mordor as they spread throughout Middle Earth, but as a clandestine, solitary soldier. 

The ancient elven king fears the growing darkness, indeed it's slowly killing his daughter. He knows who Strider is and believes the time has come for the young ranger  to walk in the fullness of his kingship. To move from the shadows to the light, assemble an army that only he can lead and defend the land.  Elrond offers this exhortation. 

"Put aside the ranger and become who you were born to be." 

Like Aragorn, we were born for a purpose. And like him there will be times for us to assume the sword that has been forged for our hands for the work we've been created to do. Our responsibility, indeed our privilege however, goes deeper than being someone great. It's about knowing someone great and letting His power flow through our lives.  

​Hosea calls to us from scripture: Let us know--let us press on to know the LORD. 

Hosea exhorts us to know YAHWEH and he tells us to press on, twice. This is no casual meet and greet. We're going to have to fight for this relationship and probably for a lifetime. Pressing on through discouragement. Plowing through seasons of barrenness. Marching forward with laser-like focus when distractions, seductions and seasons of plenty threaten the veracity of our mission.

And when we do, we'll be able to join the Apostle Paul in saying,  "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me."

Because it's always about Him and knowing him--is what we were made for.
Put aside the ranger, and become who you were born to be.  

Finish Well,
​Dionne