“A Catholic Reading the Bible One Chapter at a Time”…. I Didn’t Have My Teacher Today

On today’s edition of “A Catholic Reading the Bible One Chapter at a Time”…. I didn’t have my teacher today. 

 And I was left alone to research and figure things out. Y’all— that’s the definition of the blind leading the blind.

This morning my friend Leigh asked “what was a season in your life that you look back on now and realized it was hard but changed you for the better?” When I answered, she said, “God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.” And at 6am, I got a pen: “find  verse  about  qualifications  and  callings .”

Fun Fact #1836: It’s not a verse.  It’s a quote from a book. 

There was only one thing I could do: find out what verse it was pulled from.  Y’all- without a teacher guiding me through the tabs of this book and asking (“um, New or Old?”) it took a while.  I kept being directed to this passage: 1 Corinthians 1:27-29. Maybe I’m wrong  Maybe it’s a combination of the 3 on that sticky note? I’m not sure.

But it got me thinking about “the boring parts I’m having to read to understand the whole picture.” I just finished Genesis.  First time through and there is A LOT in there. Including…. A lot of people. 

And these people are the people from which my people (and all y’all) come from… and more importantly: Jesus. And in terms of “qualified”— their resumes were lacking.

Some folks I met:
 Adam & Eve: Started “Sin” in fact
 Abraham: Liar
 Sarah: A “if you want something done…”
 Isaac: Didn’t handle pressure very well
 Leah: Desperate for love & attention
 Rachel: Super competitive
 Esau: A bit dramatic with the stew
 Jacob: Kinda greedy and self-centered
 Dan: Oh Dan… I had high hopes for Dan.

And I had already met Peter, James and John.  The three of them were asked to just stay awake and watch His six while Jesus prayed… and they couldn’t keep their eyes open despite His pleas. And Peter in general? The most awkward of humans. 

BUT… these are the people that were “called” by God. These were the imperfect and unqualified ragamuffins that God said, “Do this” and they did. And… He made it possible for them to do it because (looks at sticky notes : “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13)

So if you’re still with me, y’all (thank you ): “God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called” is not a Bible verse BUT rather a statement that embodies a majority of the message of this Book. So maybe I feel like I have NO IDEA why in my season of life I discussed today- I decided to jump careers and work in disaster response/public safety. I’m not qualified. But I was definitely called. So while super awkward like Peter (I mean— Mark 9:5, y’all) and a bit competitive (and impatient) like Rachel… I was called too.

And I guess I just have to trust that He knows what he is doing because it’s very obvious… that I don’t  But I’m trying to follow where He leads. 

Thanks for walking with me y’all. 

“A Catholic Reading the Bible One Chapter at a Time”... It's Not About a Coat!

So “A Catholic reading the Bible one chapter at a time” update… Y’all. Between a musical I’m quite certain my sister starred in at one point that I never attended and Dolly Parton’s Mom sewing a patchwork coat of many colors: I think I had a pretty unclear understanding of Joseph in Genesis. “So he had a magic jacket. Got it. Noted. Put that in the box of things I know about the Bible.” 

Fun Fact: The jacket/coat/robe— that’s not the main storyline. (I’m sure y’all knew that but in case you didn’t…. Spoiler alert). Talk about going through a tough time and leaning on faith alone to get you through it.

His brothers sell him 
They tell his Dad that he is dead 
He’s in prison without committing a crime 
There is no timeline for his freedom 
His jacket was not actually magical nor technicolor 

He is going through trials and tests— again and again— betrayal, deceit, temptation, heartbreak, injustice, solitude… and there is God right by his side for the whole journey. He doesn’t stop the bad things from happening. He just walks through them with Joseph. He has his six despite everything that is crumbling around Joseph and He has a plan— that only time, HIS time— will reveal. Joseph doesn’t give up on his faith or his belief that his dreams would come true one day.

I’m not sure how this story ends (I’m getting there— it’s a long story and I don’t want to skip ahead)… but if you haven’t read it: 5 out of 5 ’s. 

Highly recommend. First time reader. Will definitely be back.