David

There was once a boy named David. The youngest of eight boys, he was often overlooked and ignored. His job was to tend sheep, because he was too young to be a soldier and, though an undesirable job, someone had to do it. He worked hard in the fields, and earned a little fame from killing a lion and a bear to protect his little flock.

One day, while he was shepherding, one of his brothers called him inside. He glanced swiftly about the surroundings to make sure no harm would befall his sheep while he was gone, and then followed his brother inside. His father and older brothers were sitting at their table watching him gravely, and a prophet of whom David had only heard about stood before him. Samuel!

Samuel surveyed him and nodded. "Yes, he's the one." He pulled a horn of oil out of his belt and annointed David, proclaiming him the next king of Israel.

Wait...what? A young, insignificant shepherd boy was just chosen as a country's next king?

It seems unbelievable, doesn't it? And from here, we know the rest of the story. But when we started a series on the life of David in church this morning, I was struck by David's life before that day that his life turned about face. No one was expecting this to happen, least of all David. After all, he was a shepherd. He spent day after day protecting sheep, rescuing sheep, checking sheep for disease and parasites...not exactly a fulfilling life.

But David was satisfied. He didn't see shepherding as a temporary annoyance that he would deal with until he came of age. He didn't dream of becoming a great soldier or taking over his father's business. Instead he praised God and faithfully performed his duty, living for the day.

This sort of lifestyle seems almost impossible in America. Our society is so fast-paced that we don't even have time to think about tomorrow. We have to fill our planners weeks in advance so we can get things done. Students are constantly dreaming or stressing about the next test, the next school, the first job. Adults have to anticipate every moment or else fall behind.

But what if we don't have to? What if we could live like one little boy named David who knew that God had a purpose for his life, so he patiently and faithfully lived his life in the present. It's worth a shot.