Galatians 1:15-16

“But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;”

This is the letter of Paul to the Galatians. In this section in chapter one, Paul is explaining his conversion and how he became an apostle of Christ. He talks about God knowing Him, even during the time where Paul killed His people. Paul then reminds the people that he was called by none other than God, being set apart for His purpose and that only by His power could Paul have known about His Son and His saving grace and mercy upon all who found refuge in Him. As I read through this chapter in Galatians, these verses stuck out to me like never before. I have always struggled with the lie that God doesn’t want to use me, and it is a thought that pops up often in my head because it is something that gets me to a very low point and is really discouraging for me. The past few weeks I’ve struggled with this lie and really have been fighting it and bringing it before the Lord because I know He desires to use me for His will as it says in Philippians 2:13, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” This past week was hard for me and my time with the Lord had been short and I hadn’t really dove into the word just to study for a couple days, so I sat down and flipped to Galatians to start reading through and that’s when I came across these verses. When I read them, I closed my eyes and thanked the Lord because I knew that it was from Him because I was struggling and asked for Him to comfort me. I immediately read this over and over again and was overwhelmed with love and comfort and relief that I knew could only come from the Lord. Recently, I’ve let this lie sit and fester in my head and not asked the Lord to help me fight it with truth. As our time here in Uganda is quickly coming to a close, it gets easy to get distracted with so many other things and take my eyes off of the One who really matters. This was such a comfort and also a reminder of why we are here and how He has brought each person on this team to  this place to share His light and grace with others so they may know Him. We don’t just get to waltz through each day and not shine His light, it is ongoing and there are so many who don’t know. In the village we live in, there is a strong emphasis on witchcraft and there is a lot of darkness present. The Lord has set my team and I, each member apart by His grace to be a light to everyone we come in contact with, not by our own power but only by His grace bestowed upon our lives. This reminder helped snap me back into gear and to pray for each day to be reminded that this life is not my own and to cling to Truth in each situation. We are all seeking the Lord on how to finish out this time well and I think this reminded me to live each day all in and to dig even deeper and go even harder than we have been even when I think I can’t go anymore, to remember that he has set me apart and that I’m not alone in this race. My application is to memorize this verse and recite it to Autumn, my leader.