Plopping Points

Catchy title, huh? I'd love to take credit for it but I can't. It's from Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado. I was intrigued by the title and even more intrigued when I read the chapter. It reminds me of the paradigm shift I talked about yesterday with visiting people who don't want visitors. Kind of a different way of thinking about that situation, huh?

In this chapter it talks about how we run ourselves ragged sometimes doing this and that for everyone until we just can't do one more favor, run one more errand, have one more long conversation, etc. We're so pooped! Max goes on to talk about when David and his six hundred soldiers return from the Philistine war front to find utter devastation. The Amalekites had come to his village, taken everything, even wives and children. The men are sad, then angry, but not against the Amalekites, against David, their fearless leader. David had led them into battle, leaving everything behind to be stolen. They want to stone him.

David seeks God. In 1Sam. 1 Sam. 30:6 "But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." David asks God if he goes after these raiders, will he catch them, and God says, yes. They head out, already tired from the last war, but they have to retrieve their families and possessions.

They come to Brook Besor, dismount, wade in the water, drink, refresh, wiggle their toes in the grass. Aaahhhh. When it's time to continue on, two hundred decide to stay at Brook Besor and rest. They're exhausted, can't take another step.

Quoting from the book: "How tired does a person have to be to abandon the hunt for his own family?

The church has its quorum of such folks. Good people. Godly people. Only hours or years ago they marched with deep resolve. But now fatigue consumes them. They're exhausted. So beat-up and worn down that they can't summon the strength to save their own flesh and blood. Old age has sucked their oxygen. Or maybe it was a deflating string of defeats. Divorce can leave you at the brook. Addiction can as well. Whatever the reason, the church as its share of people who just sit and rest.

And the church must decide. What do we do with the Brook Besor people? Berate them? Shame them? Give them a rest but measure the minutes? Or do we do what David did? David let them stay."

The story goes on the say that David and his 400 men went and retrieved all the wives and children and possessions. Max talks about how the wives must have felt, being dragged off, captured, but then David and his men come and rescue them. But some are saying, "Honey, where are you?" Some are at Brook Besor, that's where they are. The rescue squad is thinking that the 200 at Brook Besor are leaches, letting them do all the work rescuing their wives. Resentment brews. How does David handle all the disgruntled people?

1 Sam. 30:23-24: "Don't do that after what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us. Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike."

From the book: "Noe David's words: they "stayed with the supplies," as if this had been their job. They hadn't asked to guard supplies; they wanted to rest. But David dignifies their decision to stay.

David did many mighty deeds in his life. He did many foolish deeds in his life. But perhaps the noblest was this rarely discussed deed: he honored the tiered soldiers at Brook Besor. It's okay to rest. Jesus fights when you cannot. Who are the strong to criticize the tired? Reserve passing judgement on the tired. Odds are, you'll need to plop down yourself. And when you do, Brook Besor is a good story to know."

If I hadn't read that story in this book and had it explained to me in that way, I would have cruised right over it in my reading. I'm so thankful for spiritual books that slice God's Word in different ways so can see the subtleties that I would have otherwise missed. Good stuff, huh? Blessings this sunny Thursday.