My brother and I grew up playing video games on our Atari and (later) Nintendo (yeah, I know, I’m dating myself here). We would sit for hours with hopes to eventually beat the entire game. As time went on we began to realize, with some games, there were codes that could be inputted that would advance us to other levels. We thought this was the greatest thing in a world as we could simply skip ahead. While it was exciting to secure this secret information and advance so quickly, I realized early on how negatively it affected us. We would always begin each new level losing frequently because neither of us had experience to draw from. Every new level presented problems neither of us could solve. Skipping certain levels left us unable to conquer certain worlds or (in gamer’s terms) level up because we didn’t have any experience with certain issues to aid us in moving forward. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized shortcuts aren’t always as valuable as they seem.
We all love a shortcut. It’s always nice to benefit without having to do much work but it generally hurts us more than it helps us. After a while we employ shortcuts out of laziness. Why should we work hard when we can just skip ahead, right? Recently, I was thinking about King David’s life and all that he endured. He started out as a shepherd herding sheep. Even after he had been called to his father’s house and was anointed king, rather than receive a celebration in his honor, he marched right back out to the field to continuing taking care of those smelly sheep. Seems odd, right? Not really. It wasn’t his time to ascend to the throne. There was someone still occupying that throne. He didn’t realize it but, those experiences in the field taught him the importance of being faithful to what he had been called to do, regardless of what was going on around him. It was the skills he learned while protecting his father’s sheep by killing the lion and bear that prepared him for Goliath. It was lessons he learned working for the current king that later attempted to take his life that prepared him to one day lead an army and be king himself. Where are you at right now? Do you feel God has called you to do a mighty work for the kingdom but you’re being forced to work out in the field shoveling sheep poop? Have you considered shoveling poop may be a preparation for what’s to come? Zechariah 4:10 tells us, “ Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin….” It may not feel like it but, poop shoveling seasons are not punishment nor a mistake on God’s part. They’re preparation!
Closing remarks and encouragement: It may seem like your current season is frustrating and tiresome but, there’s a wonderful purpose for everything you endure. Your opposition isn’t there to weaken you, it’s there to strengthen you. What you learn at this level will help you conquer the next level. Don’t grow weary in your well-doing, my friends. God is always up to something. Today’s herding job is preparing you to kill tomorrow’s giant!
Have a blessed week, my friends!