Overlooked by everyone else. Handpicked by God.
Samuel passes on each of Jesse’s sons and then asks, “Are these all the sons you have?” I imagine Jesse with a quizzical expression replying, “There is still the youngest.… He is tending the sheep.” (1 Samuel 16:11, NIV) Surely one who spends his time taking care of animals is not the one to take care of a nation.
Overlooked by everyone else. Handpicked by God.
As soon as Samuel saw David, he knew he was the one. David was anointed to become king. But he was not immediately ushered to the throne. It would be many years before David was recognized by the world. So, where did he go after being anointed as king? To a refining school? A government academy? Military training? Nope.
He went back out to the fields and continued to shepherd his flock. A king doing lowly tasks. A king whose character was being refined in the fields of everyday life to prepare him for his calling.
How like us. In the midst of smelly laundry, dirty dishes, snotty noses, misplaced keys, overdue library books, bills and that birthday gift that still needs to be mailed to Grandma—there is training there. There is character building. There is attitude shaping. There is soul defining. All of which must take place for us to become what God intends.
Do you ever feel overlooked by the world? Take heart—we are handpicked by God.
I am not just doing tasks. I am building a legacy. I am shaping God’s Kingdom. I am in the process of not only discovering my calling but that of my family as well. And I don’t know about you, but it sure does make me look at my everyday tasks (yes, even the smelly laundry) in a whole different light.
Dear Lord, I’m grateful that even when I feel overlooked, I can rest in the fact that I am handpicked by You. Help me to live my life for an audience of One. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
