"In the same way, all seven of Jesse's sons were presented to
Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The
Lord has not chosen any of these.' Then Samuel asked, ‘Are these all the sons you have?' ‘There is still the youngest,'
Jesse replied. ‘But he's out in the
fields watching the sheep and goats.' ‘Send
for him at once,' Samuel said. ‘We
will not sit down to eat until he arrives.'"
(1 Samuel
16:10-11, NLT)
Since finished diploma at
UiTM, I was very driven to be knowledgeable, smart, and insightful. I studied
all the time – night and day, devour books on various subjects, learning
online, and attended seminars and talks (free and paid). When I asked myself,
what drives me to become who I was and am today, I was shocked by my own
answers. Partly, as I was growing up, my parents never tell me that I'm smart.
Because I didn't further my study like any other of my friends after diploma
(due to financial difficulties), some of them look down on me. I can see that
in their eyes. The elders in the church and family members have that ‘look'
when I told them that I'm working as such and such. Unimpressive. A friend of
my girlfriend told her that if she married me, she will get nothing, no future.
Since, I determined that someday, somehow, I'd prove them all wrong! All of
this inner turmoil and the desire to proof-myself haunted me early on. Now,
with Jesus Christ as my Saviour, He saved [and still in the process of saving
some part of] me from being weight down by people's opinion and divert my
[same] motivation toward glorifying God in my life.
The fact is, others that are close to us and
especially families form us into who we are. In the Bible, young David didn't have great family and friends
encouragement either, and the lack of it affected his entire life. His family
situation set him up for tough times ahead. In fact, his family was as
dysfunctional as they come. His brothers constantly antagonized him, and his
father neglected him (and most traditions said that David was Jesse's son from
another wife and born out of wedlock). Talk about the potential for developing
a poor self-image! As a result of the way his family treated him, David
apparently struggled his whole life with a performance-based personality and a
drive to prove himself worthy at all costs. His family left an indelible mark
on his life as he gained power, influence, and significance. During one of our
Bible Study, someone responded to how David deals with his rebellious son,
Absalom: "David is a good king, but
a bad father." Guess who he it learned from?
Typically, our family dysfunctions drive us either to
overcompensate for what is lacking in our most fundamental relationships or to
rely more fully upon God to take up the slack we've experienced in those
relationships. For example, you may
have received certain messages from your biological family that now are
contributing to patterns of sin in your life. You may hold the aching pain of
loss within you, you may want to prove to others that you have what it takes,
or you may want to show that you're in control. Many men medicate themselves
daily by overworking, overeating, raging, viewing pornography, drinking
alcohol, or by pursuing ‘success' – whatever it takes! These are how we hide
our pains or maybe as our escape tactics. Yet, our anxiety continues, and life
remains somehow incomplete – in spite of their wonderful outward appearances.
So now we men must ask
ourselves, How do we overcome the hand
we've been dealt and take responsibility for our lives? How do we let our
self-worth, fears, and anxieties move us closer to God rather than farther
away? How did David do this? One of the clue we can find it during his
final speech to his son, Solomon before his death: "I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage
and be a man. Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his
ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of
Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go…" (1 Kings
2:2-3). Only God can change you inside-out, so be Fathered by Him. And by His
Son, you will be made new – and His Word can overcome the hurtful and
destructive past, and move you toward a better future. It’s not a onetime
event, of course, it’s a process. Men, for His glory!
Have Courage.
Be A Man.
Observe and Keep God's Word in Your Life.
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
