Diving with David

Welcome Leaders,

Today is National Brave Day!  Did you and your learners do something brave today?  Did you talk about people who exhibit bravery?  What it means to be brave?  We hope you did.  We hope you took the plunge and free fell right off that scary diving board – hypothetically speaking of course.  Or, maybe literally.

If you did not get a chance to be brave today, maybe tomorrow is your day.  It’s National Good Neighbor Day.  In the current digital era, we typically do not connect with our neighbors as previous generations did.  Maybe tomorrow you will be inspired to change that in your neighborhood.  Ride the waves of bravery from today and invite your neighbor over to dinner.  Say, “Hello,” when you see them outside.  Or even pick a piece of trash up out of their lawn.  Whatever it is that inspires you, maybe still requires a little bit of bravery, and honors the intent of National Good Neighbor Day.

To honor the intent of today, National Brave Day, I am inviting you on my free fall journey.  I am standing at the edge of the high dive, looking down into the puddle some call a pool and willing myself to jump, knowing you all are watching from the sidelines.  In my head, you’re cheering me on.  So, thank you for that. 

For my brave challenge, I am inviting you to share in my faith journey.  You don’t really know me.  I don’t really know you.  It is easier to be brave when typing to an unknown audience.  But for me, it really does honor my brave challenge.  You see, I’m an introvert through and through.  Look it up in the dictionary.  The picture you see there, that’s me.

But, see, I recently started the free fall experience.  It was beginning this website.  It took nine years before I really got serious about it.  Before ever entering the aquatic center that is the website, I planned out numerous detailed dives (resources).  Started countless computer files.  Filled numerous notebooks.  I studied how to dive (blog) from other divers (bloggers) and books.  Then, I finally entered the aquatic center by buying the domain.  Now, every day is a plunge for me.  I must talk myself back into the locker room, into the pool room, to the ladder, up the ladder, to the edge, and the plunge is the publish button.  I’m not lying, my heart rushes every step of the way.  It is scary for me.  This is my bravery challenge.

I’m taking it one step further today, though leaders.  I’m going to the high dive by getting extra personal with you.  I reread a familiar story and saw it from a different perspective.  A perspective I felt led by God to share with you.  A perspective I try to remember each day.  A perspective I have created a visual of to put on my vision board to look at every day before I walk to the diving board.  Yes, one image on my vision board is of a girl standing at the edge preparing to dive - in case you were wondering.

The familiar story is David and Goliath.  We all know it.  It’s the classic story of an underdog, and the real-life version of facing your giants.

It is easy to dismiss this story we know so well.  That’s why, when given the option to reread it during my personal devotion time, I nearly skipped it.  But, in an effort to thoroughly immerse myself into the study, I didn’t.  And I am so glad I didn’t.  When I reread this story, I heard some important messages I have never heard before.  I invite you to go read the story now.  Jot down a few new perspectives gained and if you feel led, share them with someone.  If you would like to share your perspectives with me, I would love to be that someone. I am forever fascinated by the way God uses His living word as a tool to speak to each person individually. 

Click here to read the story of David and Goliath at Bible Gateway.

Welcome back!  With the David and Goliath story fresh in your mind, I’d now like to share the first truth I heard God whispering to me through this story.  (I will be sharing additional truths in upcoming posts.)

God is honing a skill in me for later use that will bring Him glory.

How did David and Goliath teach me this?  You remember a crucial part to this story was David defeating Goliath with a slingshot. A slingshot was not a common war weapon, at least not the type David used nor even within the region where David lived.  No one would ever have dreamed that a slingshot would down the mighty giant.  But, what no one understood was that God had been growing David for this very moment. 

You see, David carried a slingshot with him everywhere he went.  He used it as a common shepherding tool to protect his sheep from predators.  It was a tool of the trade, as common as his staff. So, imagine the look on David’s face as your time-traveling self tells him, “Hey, by the way, David, you’re going to use that sling to kill a giant someday.  So, learn to use it well.”

Well, no one warned him.  He had no idea the epic role this common tool of the trade would play in history.  David, instead, faithfully did what any good shepherd would do, and God presented him with situations to build skills he would eventually need.  Enter lion.  Enter bear.  God, step-by-step, day-by-day, situation-by-situation, provided David with the needed experiences to uniquely train him. 

The point: we don’t know what skill God is building in us OR to what end.  What we do know is you are where you are today for a reason.  So, as my pastor would say:

“You’ve got to faith it until you make it.”

It’s hard, leading those littles.  We spend all day motivating them to want to do something they would NEVER (okay rarely) choose to do on their own.  And we’re expected to make them like it.  But, if we walk in faith, knowing God put that bear of an obstacle in front of us and trust he is shaping us, refining us, building us for his glory, maybe we can plan that unit with renewed purpose.  Grade that 27^th paper with increased enthusiasm.  Prepare that center with intentional vigor.  Who knows what skill He’s planning to use, or to what end.  We are asked to follow, trust, and do our best.  And, I know you are because that’s what leaders do.

I am going to tell you something.  I want you to let down your walls and really listen.  I strongly believe you’re meant to hear this:

You, (insert name), are where you are for a reason.
God is working in you.

I created for you some visuals to help you remember these truths shared today.  Print them off and start your own vision board.  Tape the one you like best to your mirror.  Paperclip it in your planner.  Share it with others.  I pray these messages inspire you today.  That they give you a renewed sense of purpose and invigorate your passions. 

With Love from the Kitchen,

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