Hi! I know it's been a few months since I've posted here, but I'm so excited to share what's happening in my world and what's been on my heart. It's been an exciting season for me, recording and releasing music, but it's also been a while since I've shared what God is doing in my life.
Lately, while reading my Bible, I've been focused on King David. As a child I was taught the story of the great David who defeated Goliath with just a sling and a stone. A miraculous story of what God can do with just one person's faith. I was taught about a great leader and king who was so distracted from the responsibilities God had given him he was caught up in an affair which led to the murder of Bathsheba's husband and the death of their child. Praise the Lord David saw the mistakes he had made and sought God for forgiveness. Although they both experienced tremendous grief because of their actions, God blessed them with a child, Solomon, and Jesus was born from that line. This goes to show God can redeem and use anything for His glory! But, as I was reading the story of David and Goliath, God brought my attention to one specific thing that I had never really noticed about David.
Long before he was considered a great warrior or named king, David was a simple servant. The youngest of his brothers, a musician and a shepherd boy. When he was not helping his father in the fields, he was using his gift of music to play for and comfort King Saul who was haunted by his past mistakes and regrets. Even after David was named king of Israel, he immediately returned to the fields. His life and his walk were marked by true humility and servanthood.
As I began to realize how much of a servant heart David had, I began to ask some difficult questions. When was the last time I intentionally chose to be a servant. It's so easy for me to get into the habit of making lists, marking off goals, taking each step to get closer to what I want to accomplish. These aren't bad things, but when they distract from loving and putting other people first it's time to reevaluate. I don't know if this is striking a nerve for you, but it certainly did for me! I'm reminded of Jesus' teaching of the greatest commandment. In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus is quoted as saying, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater that these."
Setting goals and making checklists are never bad, and I know my ADD brain needs a good checklist! But when the end goal becomes more important than the God we serve and the people we reach, we have some major readjusting to do. I'm thankful for a God who lovingly and gently brings my attention back to him and his goals for me. So, here's the game plan: love God and love people! That's what he's called me to do and that's what he's called you to do. All the rest is going to work out in his timing and according to his plan, and I'm just going to try to focus on the task he's given me. If we're faithful to serve God and others, we might just find ourselves in a situation like young David. If God can turn a humble shepherd boy into a king, he can do just as much in and through us!