What I'm learning from Amos

Yes, the Amos from the bible. (Do you know any other Amoses?) 

A few months ago, Matt Ford preached a sermon about Amos and parts of it have stuck with me. I've thought about something Matt said and I'm now able to connect a few dots, where it was cloudy before. 

"God calls you what you aren't yet, but what you will be."

When I first heard him say this, I pleaded with God that He'd call me "satisfied," or "blessed." But, if I'm really being honest here, all I wanted Him to call me was: MOM.

If you've never read the book of Amos, you probably should. I won't bore you with a long summary, but basically it's a little book with a few chapters - most of which explain how upset God was that Israel's neighbors (and ultimately Israel itself) were displeasing Him. So, what does Amos have to do with this? 

Amos was just a simple shepherd, turned prophet, who spoke the words God gave him. He was bothered by how wealthy the wealthy were and how poor the poor were. 

Things were going really well in Israel - there weren't any wars going on at the time, and things were actually pretty quiet for a change. So, you can imagine how upset the religious leaders were when little, old Amos decided to spiritually attack them with God's words and shake things up at such a peaceful time. 

At one point, a priest lashed back at Amos and started a rumor that Amos had plans to kill the king. The priest begged Amos to stop preaching in his town. 

This is where it gets interesting! I can see Amos in my mind - mid-sentence, he stops what he's doing and realizes what's going on. He's never been called a preacher before. He was probably always referred to as "shepherd," or "son," or "brother." No one had ever called him a preacher. 

He responds quickly, "I never set up to be a preacher, never had plans to be a preacher. I raised cattle and I pruned trees. Then God took me off the farm and said, ‘Go preach to my people Israel.’" (Amos 7:14-15)

I've tried to think about what my response might be, if it was similar to Amos'. It might sound something like this...

"I never set out to be a foster mom, never had plans to be someone's back-up plan. I was a teacher and I enjoyed learning alongside my kiddos. Then God took me out of the classroom and said, 'Go parent and teach the children I will send into your home.'" (This is NOT in the Bible, so don't look for a reference here.) :)

I haven't completely figured out what God has called me or what I will be, but I'm learning to become malleable. He has given me names and called me different things over the last (almost) 30 years of my life. With each new name, I've learned that He has a way of giving me that name before I realize it's happening. 

And it's probably better that way.