One of my favorite people in the Bible is King David. I've me tioned him before in other posts, but this one is a bit different.
When Samuel went to Jessie's house to anoint a new king after Saul had lost favor with God, Jessie, paraded his other sons in front of Samuel, but did not consider that David would be the next king. Samuel had to ask Jessie if he had another son. Jessie nonchalantly mentions David, who at the time was tending sheep. We know how the rest of the story goes David does eventually become King after some soul searching and some time with the Lord.
As of late I've started to wonder how did David feel about not being on Jessie's radar. How did David feel knowing his father did not believe he could be King? Was it something that David did? Was it something that Jessie didn't see or was it that of David became King, Jessie would lose the one person whose job it was to tend the sheep?
I think we get a taste of what David could have been feeling/thinking by his relationship with Saul. Saul was abusive. Yet, David continued to do everything he could to earn his favor and respect. I think we get a taste of how David felt in his relationship with Jonathan. They were closer than brothers. I even believe that we see how he felt in his interactions with the women in his life. In all of these relationships, David was looking/searching for a place to be himself authenticly. David was looking for a place where he was just David - Not King, not Shephard, not military leader etc... He was looking for his place, and unfortunately, try to find it in the wrong people in the wrong places.
How many of us like David are searching for a place to not only be us, but are looking for a place where we can be validated? Validated not only for what we do, but for who we are. How many of us wrap who we are in what we do? How many of us fall apart when what we do becomes the thing that we are no longer known for? What do we do?
My challenge to you today is to do like David did. He leaned into his relationship with God. We get some of the most profound and some of the most honest/transparent Psalms from his time trying to find a place to belong. Now I don't expect Psalms to come from you, but I expect that you use his love for you to help you find where you belong. I expect that you use his love for you to fill in your missing pieces so that you don't go looking for belonging from folks who only want you to be who they want you to be.
I pray that the Almighty Father meets you where you need him. I pray the Almighty Father helps you in finding and embracing yourself enough to where you don't go searching for validation in the wrong places. Amen
