Being Chosen

Easter may bring to mind happy images of bunny rabbits, colorful eggs, treasure hunts, and candy. But we know the holiday is about more than fun.
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For those of you new to my newsletter, this one is a bit more serious than my typical stories. At Easter service this morning, I found myself thinking about being chosen.

Who else remembers the trauma of hoping against hope not to be the last one chosen for kickball or other sports? There’s something special about feeling chosen or set apart from the crowd in a good way.

But who would want to be chosen to suffer? Or die?

I have a tendency to keep my spirits up by putting a positive spin on things. When someone dies, I tell myself they had a long, fulfilled life, or at least they didn’t suffer a long, painful death.

Even with Jesus, I tell myself he found joy in his time on earth by making friends, spending time with his loved one, choosing and training his apostles, and doing his father’s will.

Jesus turned things on their head in so many ways. When some of his apostles (or their mothers) got the big head and asked for a special spot on the throne of God, he said, “You do not know what you are asking.”

Jesus taught humility by saying to avoid the seat of honor at a banquet, lest a more distinguished person arrive, and to choose instead the lowest seat (Luke 14:8-10).

If you have not yet watched the series, The Chosen, I think it is well worth your time.

I wonder if the idea of embracing Gentiles as part of God’s plan made God's chosen people feel less special. Herman Wouk, who always writes of Jewish characters, has long been one of my favorite writers. I have not read his novel, The Hope. Perhaps, when I do, my understanding of the Jewish faith will grow.  
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In my novel, Joy After Noon, Joy has gone through much of her life without feeling special … until handsome, charming widower Ray chooses her.
https://www.amazon.com/After-Noon-Sugar-Sands-Book-ebook/dp/B07P7S5Y7Z