Set Apart

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” -Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)

From a young age, I went to church on my own. I was not coerced; I simply chose to attend church while the rest of my family stayed at home. The walk from our house to the church was short, and almost every Sunday I made it because I loved being there. I loved the people. I loved the songs and the sermons. Even as a child, I had an awareness of God, and in church, His presence felt even more real to me. Being in the Lord’s house was one of the most wonderful things to me then, and it still is today.

I also grew up in a culture where alcohol and drugs were all around me, but even as a little girl, I decided that would not be my portion. I did not fully understand it then, but the Lord had already set me apart, even before I was formed in my mother’s womb.

Over the years, I have sat at tables where I did not belong. I have added my voice to conversations when silence would have served me better. I have poured time and energy into relationships I should have walked away from sooner.

Through it all, I have come to understand something I have heard for most of my life: “Nadige, you are set apart. Nadige, you are peculiar.” I always knew I was different, yet for years I fought to fit into spaces where the Lord was calling me to stand up and even step away from. And if I am being completely honest, those spaces were never designed with me in mind.

If you have been set apart, prepare to be misunderstood. Prepare to be the “weird one” in the group, the “different one” at home, and the person others whisper about but rarely understand. They may wonder why you live the way you do, why you’re always reading your Bible, or why you don’t do this or that. You may even be wondering why you no longer fit into the places you once tried so hard to belong.

It is not always that people dislike you; sometimes, they simply do not understand you, and that’s okay. In 1 Kings Chapter 1, David’s son Adonijah presumptuously decided to host his own coronation. (Like, who does that?) He invited certain people, including one of David’s military commanders and a priest, but he didn’t invite his brother Solomon. Adonijah offered sacrifices and pursued his own agenda, but he was not the one God had chosen to succeed David as king. The Lord made a covenant with David that his offspring would be king, and that particular offspring was Solomon; he was set apart for the work of the Lord and called to build a temple for the Lord. (1 Chronicles 28:9-10)

Maybe Solomon’s feelings were hurt because his brother did not invite him to the coronation. I love that Scripture does not tell us how Solomon felt or what he knew, because in the end, that is not the point. When you know you are peculiar, chosen, and called to walk blamelessly before the Lord, it does not matter whose table you are invited to sit at. It doesn’t matter whether you’re invited to the wedding or the coronation. It does not matter whether you are liked, overlooked, or misunderstood. What matters is that you walk in obedience to the Lord. And when you’ve walked into the space that the Lord has set apart for you, you’ve walked into God’s design and purpose for your life. How cool is that?

Daughter of Fire, you have been set apart, yes, you. Peculiar you. Loud you. Quiet you. Feeling unqualified? Yup, you! Fearfully and wonderfully made you! The one who doesn’t care to get drunk and party her life away, or even if you did before, the one who now wants to know God’s plan for her life. God, the Creator, has intentionally designed a space for you to bloom, dance, speak, sing, write, serve, share, and create. A space to bring Him glory. He has prepared rooms that are waiting to hear your voice and see your face, because the glory of the Lord is shining upon you, within you, and through you wherever you go.

While one son tried to establish his own kingdom, another son was seated on the throne, just as God promised. God does not lie, and He does not forget His covenant. What He has spoken about you will come to pass. He has not forgotten you! The Lord is waiting for you to step boldly into who He has called you to be: peculiar, chosen, and set apart. You are clothed in royalty and gracefully adorned in His love and compassion. Your room is waiting, and the table has been set. Taste and see that the Lord is good. I am praying for you, and I love you, but Jesus loves you most.