Not Fair, And Yet Exemplo

Past the Blah, the Yada 

David had just arrived in the Valley of Elah.

Jesse had asked his youngest son, David, to go down and meet his three oldest brothers who had followed King Saul into war against the Philistines. And so, obedient David had just arrived, having walked around fifteen miles, (more than a day’s journey), carrying a load of goodies for his brothers.

And what does he get? A sound blasting from his angry oldest brother, Eliab. No kind words, no appreciation. Rather a mouthful about how irresponsible he is along with a whole load of misunderstanding and presumptions about his intentions. Blah-blah, yada-yada goes his brother. And that would be reason enough for David to turn on his heel and leave in a huff, right?

But not David.

David chose not to take offense. Rather he moved forward. And the rest, as they say, is history. David’s trust in his God and his rich experiences with Him gave him the confidence to move forward and defeat Goliath, the 9’ 9” giant, leading to Israel’s great win against the Philistines.

Now, what if David had been bogged down by the rude comments?

Life is not always fair. We all go through the pain of being misunderstood, falsely accused, and ridiculed. Many a time for doing right, and that sure hurts all the more. But what is your response? Are people and their sharp comments keeping you from doing what God wants for you?  

Would you, like David, choose to move forward? Choose to move past the negative comments? Choose not to let the giants of fear and hurt overwhelm? And choose to move forward relying on the Lord and His Word, allowing Him to use you mightily for His glory?

 Lord help me choose to trust in You over the pain of people’s opinions or sharp words.