Our “Re-Agency”
My children have transitioned to new homes four times during their school years, including international and out-of-state moves. Along the way, a wise counselor alerted Kristin and me of how they might feel a loss of agency in the multiple transitions. While our children did not shoulder the responsibility of making the bigger decisions in leading our family, they could still play their part by making choices within their own spheres of responsibility—which toys to pack, activities to join, and many other ways to express their precious preferences throughout childhood. Agency refers to what was “their part.”
A regent represents a king, administering royal rule backed by royal authority. A regent’s agency, or regency, stems from the king’s authority and command. This understanding frames agency for the children of God—whose lives represent the King of Kings’ authority and redemptive work in the world. It’s a worldly agency that begins and ends with humans themselves. In the kingdom of God, we might call it our “re-agency” (regency + agency).
I got this idea of “re-agency” by reading about invisible ink. In order to make it visible, a re-agent must be applied. This coincided with my recent reading through the Old Testament book of Esther. God’s name does not appear in the story, yet Esther’s rise to royalty, her uncle Mordecai’s justice, and the rescue of God’s people from the adversary’s scheme reveal the power of God at work. In other words, the story reveals God’s invisible presence and redemptive power through the re-agency of His servants, who cry out and fast in the story followed by courageous action.
Our Father’s redemptive family consists of regents of our Shepherd King. May the safe pasture we keep for others stem from His care for us and our lives of thanksgiving, a visible testimony of our Lord’s presence and redemptive power—a “re-agency” that reveals hope for those stuck in their agency alone.