Where do I fit in?

What am I doing here?, I asked myself. It was my freshman year of high school, and I was standing on the court in a crowded, hot gym, a member of the starting rotation of our junior varsity girls’ volleyball team.

Don’t let me give you any false ideas: I was not a good volleyball player. I was simply on the team because all my friends had tried out, and in a small school, coaches are a little hesitant to cut young players who display moderate amounts of athleticism. I was getting to start in this particular match because the coach wanted to reward the players who were doing well academically. It was meant to be an honor but was something I dreaded. I didn’t fit in with these girls, with this team. I liked volleyball, but I didn’t love it. And these very talented girls lived and breathed volleyball.

At the end of that season, I quit the team. Soon after, the coach asked me to be the team statistician. Oddly, the job fit. I was comfortable on the sidelines, loved cheering for my friends, and still got to go to all the games—for free.

If you’re anything like me, trying to figure out where you fit, especially when it comes to God’s plan for you, isn’t easy. You want to see the big picture, to know exactly what God has in store for you. Sometimes, when you’re absolutely honest with yourself, you don’t wonder how God is going to use you­—but if He even can. And you’ve spent so much of your life feeling out of place—like me on that volleyball court—that you can’t see how you’d fit into God’s plan, much less be a vital part of it.

But you are. That’s what we want you to understand as you read this issue of ec. God has a plan, and He wants to use you in it. God knows what He’s doing and has always been about displaying His glory through regular people who allow Him to have control of their lives, like Mary and Joseph did. You’ll see that in “Where do I fit in God’s plan?” by Carol Sallee. This month, we want you to learn what it means to be obedient to Christ and what it takes to be the person He wants you to be. We want you to see the difference truly embracing who God is and following His will makes in your daily life—and your Christmas celebration. (See pp. 40, 45, 60, and 62.)

This Christmas, we want you to come to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is. Because Christmas isn’t just about gifts; it’s about the love of the Father who gave up His Son—to be born in anonymity, live in this confusing world, and then suffer, die, and rise again—so that we could be with Him always. It’s about a God who wants a relationship with us and a Savior who calls us to a life of radical obedience. It’s about finding your place in God’s plan because you’re humbled and overwhelmed by God’s amazing love and mercy and just want to bring glory to Him.

Find your place in His plan and celebrate that this Christmas!