Mr. Decker’s Blog

In my last blog, I referenced the life of an Old Testament king, named Saul… who, centuries ago, stepped onto the scene of history while chasing his father’s lost donkeys. Little did he know that he was actually on an appointment with destiny. Even though he was crowned as king however, Saul didn’t end up so well. I think I figured out why… and in that reasoning there may be a lesson for all of us.

Like we all do in life… Saul screwed up. He made a mistake and did something he wasn’t supposed to do. The interesting thing is; when he was confronted by his mentor, Samuel - he went right into a blame-shifting state of denial. You can read all about it in 1st Samuel 13:11. Saul blames everyone he can think of for his mistake - and takes no personal accountability. “You said… you didn’t… the other guys were…” is the refrain. Sadly, Saul never looked in the mirror when he erred. And in the end, that cost him a huge personal loss… He remained a victim, and thus, spiraled down a long trail to misery and defeat.

Contrast King David - the next monarch in Israel’s line of kings… He also made some pretty major errors… murder, adultery… just to name one or two… But, when he was confronted - he took full responsibilty and faced up to his own shortcomings. In that step, was his healing. If you’ve been around the 12 Steps of AA (which we feature in our Jairus program for teens) you know that the first step is to admit that you have a problem in the  first place. If we can’t do that - we, like Saul, will remain in a cycle of blame; deflecting the problem onto the shoulders of others… And in that blame game, we will always remain as we are - hurt, un-healed, and miserable.

There are mud puddles along the road of life. Everyone falls into one along the way… The difference is - some remain in the filth - exclaiming to anyone who will listen, “Can you believe this? Look at what happened! He pushed me!” They seem to define their very existence around the puddle… and stay there. Others get up… brush off and move on… “Puddles happen“, they seem to say. “I’ll have to be more careful next time…” Interestingly, as they walk on, the sun dries the mess and most of the dirt just brushes off - leaving nothing but a faint memory. There is healing… and wholeness.

Are we realistic about our own shortcomings and mistakes? Even someone as notable as an old King can end up by life’s wayside… if not.

I was reading something pretty cool in the Old Testament the other day… and it reminded me that God is in control - even in the mundane experiences of our lives. The story was in 1st Samuel, chapter nine… where we first meet Saul, who is to eventually become the King of Israel. As the story goes, Saul’s father, Kish had a few donkeys who had gone missing… so he sent his son to go and look for them. (1st Sam. 9:1-3) Saul does his dad’s bidding, and heads out with a few buddies to find the missing animals…

Saul spends the next few days covering many miles in a fruitless search for the lost beasts. Have you ever felt like that… like what you were doing was pretty pointless… maybe one more day at school or the office seems like ‘chasing donkeys?’ Well, these OT characters ended up covering alot of empty terrain, and I am certain, were pretty bored with the whole affair. Nothing like trudging through the dust looking for donkey droppings… Perhaps you have had a few recent days like that.

What Saul didn’t know was that BEHIND the scenes, God was at work. According to verses 15 and 16 in that same passage, God had already told the prophet Samuel that he was sending him a man who was to be annointed king over Israel. He had the time and place for the meeting perfectly mapped out so that ol’ Sam would know when he had the right guy. So ~ while Saul was obeying his dad in the daily drudgery - God was charting his course toward becoming king. There is no way Saul could have known what was going on in the ‘background’ of his earthly life… He thought he was looking for lost donkeys… but he was on his way to a palace.

What mundane tasks are you and I fulfilling today? Taking out the trash? Homework? That boring statistical report that the boss wants by Wednesday? Well, while we are chasing the donkeys - God is always right behind the scenes, tracing our obedience and setting up the ‘chance’ meetings that will connect us to His royal plans. Maybe you are just about to meet someone who, like Samuel for Saul, will forever change your life with a single word. God knows… and he can even use a donkey to get you in the place that He wants you to be. Don’t look down on the ordinariness of your day today. There is Divine stuff going on behind the scenes all the time - but if you neglect that dreary task - you could miss the REAL encounter God has established for your life… on the donkey trail.