Don't sit down.

Last year at family camp I painted a rock that said “Don’t sit down.”

It’s not fancy … in fact it looks pretty pitiful.

But the message to me is so powerful.

It’s sitting next to my kitchen sink and I always think that when people see it they probably (incorrectly) think I’m trying to motivate myself to keep working or doing or cleaning or cooking.

But that is not it at all.

Each year the camp director asks us to paint our “take away” from the week.  I had been so struck by what our camp pastor, David Daniels taught us from the story of 1 Samuel that I knew I wanted to put it on my rock.

In that story, Samuel has come to find the new king.  He gathers all of Jesse’s sons together and says … “is this all?”  Basically the dad says … “well, the only one left is David but he’s out watching sheep”.  In other words … “he’s not the one you are looking for … he’s a shepherd for crying out loud.”

But Samuel says (again, my interpretation ..) “hold the phone!  I’m not going to sit down until ALL the sons are here.”  So they stood and waited on David to get there and when he did Samuel said … “that’s him …. that is the new king.”

What he actually says is this:  1 Samuel 16:11
So he (Samuel) asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

And the point of Pastor Daniels telling us to “not sit down” was this …. how often do we think we know God’s plan for our children?  Or perhaps we’re so busy trying to implement our plan for our children that we don’t even ask … “God … what purpose do you have for this child?  What have you made him or her to do?”

WHAT IF WE SIT DOWN TOO SOON??!?!

On Sunday our pastor said that so often people survive something major (heart attack, cancer, etc.) and then say … “I know God saved me for some purpose”.  He then said …. GUESS WHAT?!?  It didn’t take Him saving you from cancer for Him to have a purpose for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite verses … “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you a hope and a future.”

He has a plan.

For each of us.

For each of our children.

Don’t sit down.