A Unique Child

Luke 1:57-66

We are all aware that John the Baptist was a unique person. He was a “miracle baby” born to a couple well beyond their child bearing years. This pregnancy was announced in a unique way by an angel who appeared before Zechariah while he was serving as high priest. The uniqueness continues at the dedication ceremony in the temple on the eighth day. The company of people gathered for the ceremony fully expected that the child should be named after his father and follow in his father’s footsteps. The mute Zechariah wrote on a table that this newborn’s name should be John whereupon he regained his speech and broke out into joyous praise to God. John was unique in his upbringing and as a young man it is believed that he joined a group of desert ascetics who did not cut their hair, ate off the land and wore animal skins for clothing, and practiced austere spiritual disciplines. His entire ministry was unique in that his purpose was to prepare the world for the coming of One who was greater than he. When he had done his job he fades into obscurity until we hear of his grisly death at the hands of Herod. Jesus confirmed that John was the greatest of those born before the coming of the kingdom of God, but that the least of those born into the kingdom were greater than John.

There was one John the Baptist. Our goal should not be to be “called” like John the Baptist—to re-enact the life he led. We do not need to become desert ascetics and wear strange clothes or eat grasshoppers and honey. Yet we are called as well. Our births are special to God. The greatest responsibility of each of us is to be the unique person God has designed us to be. Unlike John, who was named by God, we are named by our parents. Often our parents have expectations for what we will become. They often train us toward those expectations. Sometimes it is to follow in a career path or take over the family business. We are told that we will go to college or serve in the military because it is the tradition in our family. Sometimes this works out well, but there are other times when it seems to be a poor fit at best. We do not feel that we are in the right skin, and believe that we were made for something else. We sometimes feel as if we are wearing masks and playing roles in order to please others who are important to us. Because of this, the results are often mediocre.

One of the lessons from the story of John is that God is present in our formation and that he sees our uniqueness, calls us by name, and desires that we praise him by being what he created us to be. Some are fortunate and know early in life what that is. My sister knew when she was five that she wanted to be a nurse. A nurse that was speaking at the college stayed in our home and Penny was enthralled. She just knew! At seventeen she entered nurse’s training and spent her life as a nurse. A few years ago her husband suffered a stroke and she brought him home to care for him. I heard her express that this was what she had been born to do. Others know it in business, education, ministry, parenthood, or artistic pursuits.

Not all of us are so blessed. It may take us a lifetime to put the pieces together and understand our giftedness and calling. It may take some undoing of false programming. It may take some exploration and trial and error. It may call us to get off the “success” track that our culture promotes. The key is to pay attention to the voice of God who encourages us to move step by step into discovering what he has planned for us. When we find it, we will also find our true voices. Like Zechariah we will use those voices to praise our Creator. And as St. Francis said, we best praise God by being what he created us to be. So let it be.