Lilly: That doesn't sound very good. Aren't you going to say "Hi" to our friend?
Dodger: Oh, of course. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be rude; in fact, I didn't even see you there.
Lilly: That's because you were staring at the floor mumbling about something. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but most people think that you're crazy when you do that.
Dodger: That's true as well.
Lilly: So what's the matter?
Dodger: I'm mediocre.
Lilly: No you're not!
Dodger: Well, I'm humdrum.
Lilly: Not true either!
Dodger: Run-of-the-mill, then.
Lilly: No! Who's telling you this junk?
Dodger: No one in particular.
Lilly: Then why are you telling it to yourself?
Dodger: Well, because I can't prove myself wrong.
Lilly: What do you mean?
Dodger: I haven't accomplished anything. I mean, I know I'm different from other people and I guess that makes me special, but, I haven't done anything unique or exciting. Lilly, I've been a Christian for years, and I still haven't moved a mountain or founded a hospital or anything like that.
Lilly: You're upset because you don't have doctors on your payroll?
Dodger: No, I'm upset because my life doesn't seem...special. I don't see myself having much of importance to show for it.
Lilly: Well, do you think talking about and reading the Bible is important?
Dodger: Yes.
Lilly: How about telling people about Jesus, even if they may not want to hear it?
Dodger: Absolutely.
Lilly: Prayer?
Dodger: Of course!
Lilly: Well, do you do these things?
Dodger: Yes, I do, but those don't make me different from other Christians.
Lilly: I see. So what you're saying without maybe realizing is that you long to be spectacular. You want people to see your light for miles around. You want names like Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, and Dodger to be talked about in the same conversation. It's not that you want attention, but you want your candle that feels like this
to become a raging flame like this:
Dodger: That pretty much is how I feel. I'm sure God wants to do something through me, but I must be doing something wrong because it's taking forever!
Lilly: Well, since we now know what's bugging you, I have good news. It's in the Bible.
Dodger: My problem?
Lilly: Your solution.
Dodger: Oh.
Lilly: Hand me that Bible, will you please?
Dodger: Here you are.
Lilly: Thank you. What I'm about to read is from the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 16. Here's a small backdrop for you to know what's going on. Saul has failed as King of Israel. Although he is still king, God has chosen a new leader for Israel, and He's ready to have him anointed. So God speaks to Samuel, a very important man of God, and tells him to go to the house of Jesse, a Bethlehemite, to anoint a new king. Samuel takes God's instructions and goes to the house. We'll pick up the story from verse 4:
Dodger: So Samuel's about to anoint a new king? I bet he makes the right choice without blinking an eye.
Lilly: Nope. In fact, he doesn't even come close. Check it out:
"So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” (v. 6-11 NKJV)
Dodger: So none of the older siblings were God's choice?
Lilly: No. It's not because they were older that God didn't choose them, though. He had a certain person in mind because he knew that person's heart. As a result, he waited until Samuel got it right. Look what happens when the youngest son enters:
"So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah." (v. 12-13 NKJV)
Dodger: Wow. That would be an important day in anyone's life. So what next? Does David go up to Saul, say "I'm king now", and begin ruling Israel?
Lilly: Nope. In fact, life continues kind of as it was before, except that David begins working for Saul.
Dodger: Wait, what? I thought you said Saul was a failing king.
Lilly: He was.
Dodger: So why did Saul get to boss him around? When does David start doing amazing things?
Lilly: Well, first of all, David was at the palace to comfort Saul during his times of spiritual oppression. The fact that God enabled him to do that was pretty amazing. However, it took a while before he really made a splash, so to speak.
Dodger: What happened?
Lilly: Remember when we talked about David and Goliath, in 2012?
Dodger: Yes...I remember.
Lilly: It's a good story, and you can take a look at our last talk about it here in case you've forgotten. The short of it is that even though he's just a young man, pretty much a kid, he miraculously kills a giant warrior who is mocking Israel and helping Philistia scare the army. As far as we know, that was the first time David became famous. Instead of congratulating him and thanking him for his help, however, Saul began to make life hard on him, eventually chasing him out of the palace and looking to kill him as often as he could. He never succeeded, and David eventually became a king, but not until he was 30 years old. Does this mean that he wasn't special?
Dodger: Of course not. It just means that he had to wait and see...what...God...would...do. Ohhhh...
Lilly: Sounds like you have it. Just because we don't always see God working in, through, and for us doesn't mean He isn't. Trust me, Dodger, you've done more than you think, and everything you've ever done or are going to do is from God and with His help. So just because you haven't become a missionary yet or a pastor of a church with 2 million people in its congregation doesn't mean that you are run-of-the-mill. We wait on God's timing. Philippians 1:6 reminds us that God has started something in us that He will finish. We can't see everything God's doing with us, but we can trust that He will do amazing things with a person who lets Him be in charge. In the meantime, we live everyday like it's for God, and we trust Him to take care of the rest. One never knows what He may do through the smallest thing.
Dodger: Thanks Lilly. I feel a lot better now.
Lilly: Don't thank me. It's God Who made you special and loves you.
Dodger: Thank you, God. You're amazing.
Lilly: He sure is. Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to go.
Dodger: Why?
Lilly: I'm off to go build a snowman.
Dodger: Huh? It's July!
Lilly: I have connections. You can come too.
Dodger: Okay. Thanks- By the way, thank you, friend, for coming and hanging out with us today. It's always a pleasure to be with you. Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!
Lilly: Goodbye!
(NKJV Means New King James Version)
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