Saul

What do people call you? Maybe you’re called Mom or Dad, teacher, or salesperson. You might be a brother, friend, or coworker. We all have multiple callings. You don't stop being a daughter just because you become a boss; you’re both.

But sometimes, we let the world’s labels become our prison. People might also call you a failure, loud, lazy, boring, or broke. People label through the lens of what they see, but God names through the lens of what He gave you. People label. God names.

Are we looking at Saul today… or is it Paul? Before he was the Apostle Paul, he was Saul, a man so convinced he was right that he was literally hunting down Christians. Now, Saul is an interesting character because, in scripture, we see other people being rescued from a life of sin by Jesus. But Saul was a Pharisee, living by the letter of the law, following all the rules. In the context of that time, Saul was righteous and someone to be looked up to. But this is where Jesus flips the script on us. Jesus shows us through Saul that no matter how hard we try to do the right things, we can never save ourselves. See, Saul was following the rules, but he was drowning in the sin of self-righteousness.

He was at the top of his game, but God orchestrated a falling to lead him into a new calling.

It’s interesting that Saul couldn’t hear God’s voice until he was on the ground. Sometimes it takes a heartbreak, an interruption, or a total collapse of your plans to get your attention. It was in the dirt of the Damascus road that he heard it: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Many people think God changed Saul’s name to Paul at this moment, but He didn’t. He already had both names. Saul was his Jewish name; Paul was his Roman name. Saul was the life he built; Paul was the name he would use to bring the gospel to the gentile world. God wasn't trying to turn him into someone else; He was calling him to use what he already had.

The people from Saul’s past only saw a "Christian killer." They wanted to keep him in the prison of his "previous." If you consult with people about your calling, they may have trouble seeing a future beyond your past.

But why would you put a period on your purpose when God put a comma?

• He was Saul the Christian-killer, comma, but he became Paul the Apostle.
• You might be struggling, comma, but you won’t stay that way.
• You might feel bankrupt, comma, but God is your resource.
• You might have failed, comma, but God works everything out for your good.

Nothing is over until God says it’s over. The next time the enemy tells you your best days are behind you, just add a comma and keep walking. You've experienced pain, but you've always had a purpose.

So, maybe instead of asking God to change us into something we're not, maybe we need to allow God to remind us, "I already got it." The grace came before the mistake was made. May this be the day that you stop running to people and letting them put a period on your calling where God’s put a comma.