Find Your Donkeys

"Not Again!" This is the attitude that has infiltrated your mind when your pastor or leader asks you to do what has become seemingly insubstantial. "Can't somebody else do it?" "I have more to offer than just doing this!" If only they knew that you had bigger plans and bigger dreams. You want to help preach, you want to lead a small group, you're ready to start doing GREATER things. Yet it seems the routine stuff is getting in the way of your growth and development to the next level.

I don't want to paint your desire to do "greater" things as wrong. However, if we misinterpret the method of movement we are in jeopardy of doing exactly what we are trying to avoid, being stuck. I've been there. An ambitious dreamer ready to spread my wings and soar, yet confined to the nest of normalcy, all the while not realizing that this mindset was the very factor draining my passion and joy to serve.

One day as I was reading the bible, I stumbled upon a story that would forever stick with me and restore the way I should serve. I say restore because often when we begin serving it is with a wonderful eagerness and energy. Although some may call it an infatuation I believe it is not naivety rather a purity of focus and heart.

The story takes place in 1 Samuel 9 with the introduction of a "wealthy, influential man named Kish" who just so happens to be the father of the soon to be first king of Israel, Saul. To summarize, Kish's donkeys escape and he summons his son Saul and a servant to assist in looking for the donkeys. Now I assume that young Saul has better things he'd rather be doing than chasing donkeys. "Not again!" He might have exclaimed. "Can't the servants go do it?" Nevertheless, Saul set on foot alongside the faithful servant to find these donkeys.

After much travel the donkeys were as good as gone. It seemed like such a waste of effort and time. When you get to a point of grumbling and complaining about how you're asked to serve, you have misjudged the Lord's sovereignty. Everything God has placed at your fingertips He has placed there for a reason, including the assignments that you're tired of doing. For you it could be staying late, doing paperwork, cleaning, organizing, or a number of different things. Let's call them your "donkeys." How do you treat them? Are you maximizing your potential there? And are you acknowledging that God is not pleased by what you do, but rather by how you do it? (1 Cor. 10:31)

After almost giving up, the servant suggests to Saul that they employ the services of the seer, Samuel. As a prophet surely he could give them insight about where to find the donkeys. Saul could have ridden off the task as unimportant or insignificant, but instead, decided that if the task was given to him, then he would do it well. Consequently, what he thought would be the direction to the donkeys became a detour to a kingdom. Saul was informed that he would become the first king of the people of Israel and it came about through obedience in finding his donkeys.

Now I'm not saying that if you keep setting up chairs or plugging in cables you will be an international speaker by this time next year. It's not about a time frame. It's about the attitude we take into this new year. Maybe we've exerted so much energy into prayers asking for greater tasks and responsibilities all the while neglecting and writing off the ones we have now. What if these donkeys are the very bridges the Lord wants to use in our lives to bring us from faithful farm boy to kinglike leader, while still maintaining the servant's heart. My advice: find your donkeys, steward them, and prepare for the greater.