Eddie Furlong. You might not know that name, but I remember his story. Edward Furlong is the actor that played John Connor in Terminator 2, one of my favorite movies as a kid. It’s not a movie I wholeheartedly recommend now. What got me about his story was that it validated my fantasy. When the creators of Terminator 2 wanted to cast a kid to play this role they went into an arcade and found Eddie just being a kid. He was simply playing video games and skating. He wasn’t an actor before this and has had very few roles since then. He was just minding his own business when someone offered him a shot at playing an iconic role (at least for that franchise).
That was my confirmation, I could do whatever I wanted and God would send someone to intervene in my life.
A silly story I know, but our world is littered with these stories. Lottery winners, overnight successes. It’s even more prevalent on social media. I’m not going to go as far as to say that the Devil is out there rewarding people to get us off track. Nor will I say that God is acting like a fairy godfather and granting wishes. The problem is one of comparison. We see a lottery winner and wonder, “why can’t that be me?”
Similarly, we read in the Bible about these heroes of the faith and wonder, “why can’t that be me?” We casually read the Bible and these heroes seem like God ordained every step and their life was perfect. Unfortunately far from it.
If we want the life God wants for us, then we have to be willing to accept that it probably looks nothing like what we wanted at the beginning.
The David Moment
I don’t know about you but I’m waiting for my David moment. The moment that God sends a Samuel to come and anoint me as King. The moment that I run off and kill the giant, and rule the kingdom. Nevermind that is not how it happened, but it doesn’t stop us from fantasizing and putting those expectations on God. After all, the world seems full of overnight successes, so why not us? Why can’t we be like David?
It’s funny, isn’t it? We read David’s story and that’s what we remember. Shepherd boy anointed king for having a humble heart, slays a giant, becomes king (and of course we remember Bathsheba too). Unfortunately, we forget that although victorious, he was hunted by wild animals, hunted by a king, had spears thrown at him, lost his best friend, was forced to live in a cave, and had his sons rebell against him.
In order to get to those highlights, David had to deal with some pretty crazy circumstances. I’m not going to say God was testing him. However, I do believe that God is able to use really bad circumstances to build his character. He does the same thing for us
God Doesn’t Want Good Christians
According to the Psalms, David lived in anguish during these trials. I too lived in anguish. Wondering if God would ever “notice” me working really hard to be a “good Christian” and trying to do all the right things. Yet I missed what He wanted completely. If I’m honest, I wanted some magical fantasy man to come and bless me because I was “good” (you know, just as He did with David).
God didn’t create me to have me slave away to earn His love and blessing. He created me (and you) to have a relationship with Him. He created us to be so full of love that we could love each other because we would be overflowing with love due to our close relationship with Him.
I had a church leader once tell me, “I don’t think God cares about what you do, He just wants you.” That’s not eloquent and probably not even remotely close to accurate but it gets the point across. I don’t think God wants “good Christians.” He wants sons and daughters.
Live Like A King (or Queen)
When Paul reminds us that we are sons and daughters he’s actually quoting a promise God made to David regarding his children. If we are sons and daughters of the King of Kings, then that at least makes us princes and princesses. We are co-heirs with Christ. In Revelations, we’re called Kings and Priests. However, what good is a title without authority and empowerment? (that’s a trick question)
I’m hoping you can make these leaps with my train of thought on this.
When we accepted our Father’s adoption, we got all the authority (delegated authority) we needed to accomplish whatever mission He set us on. Our mission won’t be easy, there will be trials, but the trials will work to produce for us the kind of character that will allow us to do even more. We don’t work to earn approval, we work because we love the Father. We can truly live like a King. We can operate in authority in the midst of adversity knowing that even if things look bleak, we’ve already won the long term battle.
I did have my David moment and just didn’t realize it.
That moment that I was formed in my mother’s womb. God noticed me. He anointed me.
When I was a teenager longing for a Father, I learned about Him and accepted Him as God.
When my marriage was in danger, I finally accepted Him as my Father.
I spent a good bit of time waiting for God to notice me, but in reality, He already did. All He was waiting for, was for me to notice Him.
Your David moment has already happened. If you’ve accepted adoption into God’s family, you’re a King (or Queen). You may not feel like royalty, but you walk with great power. You’re a leader and you’re family. Instead of comparing yourself to your siblings, look around you and see what you can start doing with intentionality now. Instead of waiting for your David moment, step into it and slay your giant!
