Jesse - the one from whom all of this stems is today's symbol. But the passages recommended don't talk much about Jesse. This is the story where Samuel goes to Jesse's house to anoint God's chosen one - and my favorite Old Testament person - David. Jesse has a bunch of sons and when he finds out that Samuel is there to anoint one of his sons, he parades them out - one by one - each one is rejected. He probably had some impressive sons - Samuel was sure the first one was the chosen one because of his stately stature. God said, "No, I'm not looking for stately stature."
I struggled quite a bit with my reflections today. The passage doesn't talk much about the man, Jesse, but more about his sons. I tried to think of how Jesse may have felt when Samuel kept dismissing his sons. The sons Jesse thought were worthy of anointing. Jesse probably completely dismissed David. He was little. God surely wasn't going to choose him, was he? Samuel knew though - right away.
How does this relate to my life? That's a little tougher. I had a hard time understanding what today's message was, then it hit me. Don't judge by what you see. David was the unlikely King. I wonder how many things I've dismissed before really understanding what's at stake. How many people have I overlooked without realizing how important they are to my life and to the world in general. Last week, Nelson Mandela died. He was just a poor black man in South Africa and he changed the world. Pope Francis - a humble cardinal from Argentina - is changing hearts all over the world. Mother Theresa - a woman who turned away from all her worldly comforts to dedicate her entire life to the poor and sick of India - changed minds and hearts. It seems like God has a trend of choosing humble little people to change the world. The ultimate humble little person was Jesus, of course, but in today's world, we keep searching for big "saviors" and leaders who look the look and walk the walk. If only we could find one that leads with convictions of heart rather than power, who walks the talk.
Jesse overlooked his humble little person. That humble little person became greater than I'll bet Jesse ever thought he would. Isaiah 11:1-3 tells us: "And there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear"
My prayer for today is that God will open my eyes and heart to see through the superficial stuff and focus on the important stuff. Recognize the wonders and ignore the nonsense. Enjoy the moment and not worry about the future. See the King, not just the little seemingly insignificant boy.
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