The word of the Lord came to me saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. Before Jeremiah was conceived, God already had plans for him. His whole life was being anticipated in God's imagination.
Jeremiah's response is to make excuses. He's too young. He doesn't know how to speak. He's afraid. And God's response is to commission him anyway, promising to be with him. It's a calling that Jeremiah doesn't choose but is called into.
There's something both terrifying and comforting in the image. Terrifying because it suggests you don't have complete control over your own story. Comforting because it suggests you matter. Your life isn't random. You've been known, anticipated, set apart for something before you even existed. That's a profound statement about human worth and divine intention.
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