The people of Israel wanted a King. They looked at all the other powerful nations and wanted to be like them. Samuel, however, argued against it. He knew it was not a good idea but the people did not ad heed. Therefore God allowed them to have their king and Samuel found Saul. To them Saul looked the part and became the first king of Israel. However, overtime Saul had failed. He let power go to his head. Therefore God denounced him as King and appointed David. Saul was furious and considered David his sole enemy seeking revenge by death. Through all this David kept his cool. He still loved Saul greatly and cared about him deeply. There was no need for retaliation. He used complete restraint. He knew God was with him, he felt his presence with every battle won, he knew God called him and trusted in His timing, he knew he was destined for greatness.
From the beginning people had their doubts about David. I mean after all he was a kid! A Jr. High student at that! What could he possibly know about ruling a kingdom? At the top of his class at Shepherd Adventist Academy I can only imagine he was on the Principles list every quarter with a 4.5 GPA. He most likely had classes in shepherd rearing, sheep economics, sheepology, lambistry and organic lambistry with his favorite class being organic lamb-istry lab where his assignments were training to be a shepherd and look after the sheep in the pastures. Shepherds had too many responsibilities and his classmates thought looking after sheep was a waste of time. David looked forward to this life and before long he was a graduate and soon after ascended to the throne as King of Israel. David’s ability in being a great shepherd, musician, and warrior were not the qualities that made him a great king. God called and ordained him for a position that required humility, a devoted heart, and a deep spiritual connection—and all gifts he developed while rearing little lambs in the boonies of Bethlehem!
David’s leadership skills gave him an understanding of the difficulties others faced; he knew how to forgive, he never blamed others for his mistakes nor did he make excuses. He never ran from his failures, he simply admitted them and worked hard to making things better. David changed the course of history by taking risks, going outside of his comfort zone. He took action knowing he would be successful because he had favor. David was great not because he told people what to do he had learned what greatness was. It is something you are, not something you pretend to be.
I have had the opportunity to spend some fun times with each of you. From the crazy lock-ins where the alarm went off at 4 to shopping for the perfect banquet dress. But more importantly I have had the privilege over the years to watch you grow and mature. I see King David’s in each one of you. You truly do care about each other. You respect each others’ similarities and differences. Even though you may get on each others’ last nerve you look out for one another. You have worked hard, you seized this opportunity and have made it to your 8th grade graduation. You should be proud of yourselves.
God has called you right now and now is the time for you to move on to what’s next. Life is where you get your questions answered however my question is what will people say about you? I challenge you to greatness. Be that person who speaks out on injustice, be that person who inspires, change the way others negatively view Adventism, change the face of the high school your attending, change the way you tweet, change how people use facebook, change the negative perception of what it is to be a teenager, change technology, change the economy. You see nobody is limiting you. You have to wonder, be inquisitive, never be satisfied with average. Have the courage to push the boundaries, recognizing your failures are only challenges to overcome. Never limit yourself to peoples’ expectations, but only do what God has called you to be.
Today is your reality. This is what you are right now “Destined for Greatness.”