Least is the Best?

so i just got back from the SHIFTstudents Senior Get Away Retreat in Big Bear. it was amazing. we just wanted to get some of the seniors who are graduating up and away for the weekend before they graduate high school and move on with the next stage in their lives. it was a great trip. it snowed! in May! CRAZY

that's my car..... nuts! we made it down safely so that's good. but one of the things we did up there was have these 2 hour quiet times where we would just read and be with God. it was amazing because how many times do we really do that, especially when we are surrounded by God's beauty up in the mountains?

I was reading Shane Claiborne's book called "Jesus for President", i just began it but I'm enjoying it a lot so far. while i was reading i noticed something that is amazing to hear and is an encouragement.

in the book, it goes through all of the different leaders of the Jewish leaders up until the times of Jesus. and something stood out to me. when we see the story of Moses in Exodus and the story of David in 1 Samuel, God did not use the biggest and the best people to do His will for the people. we look at Moses, who didn't think he was the greatest speaker or even capable of leading the people out of Egypt. and when Moses did go in front of Pharaoh, God told him not to act pompous and powerful but to tell him his lowly stature as a shepherd when confronting the powers. "When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, 'What is your occupation?' you should answer, 'Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable tot he Egyptians" (Gen. 46:33-34).

and we look at David. When Samuel came to Jesse, David's father, to look for the new king of the Israelites, Jesse did not even bring out David to show him off because he was the smallest and he was tending to the sheep, a lowly job. Samuel told Jesse to bring him out and Samuel choose him to be the king. later, David defeated Goliath, using only a sling shot and a stone.

we look at this and realize that God uses the least likely people to do amazing things through him. what we think is weak and will not be able to accomplish, God tends to use those things and those people to do His mighty work. we look at our lives and when we are hurting, when we are feeling weak, when we are feeling like there is no way a certain situation can ever get better, we just need to look at all God has done through the weak and the least likely, and have faith that God will be able to do anything through you.

there is no reason why we should be discouraged when we are at our lowest, because God tends to use us the most when we are at that point. when we are at our lowest of the low, God more often than not, uses us in those situations to touch more people for Him than any other time of our lives. that is incredible. i believe He does this because then there is no way we can take away any credit from Him, instead of us thinking that we were able to pull it off on our own. this is just something to keep in mind when we are going through hard and weak times in our lives. God uses the weak to lead the strong, and the small to bring down the big.

"the great paradox and humor of God's audacious power:

a stuttering prophet will be the voice of God,

a barren old lady will become the mother of a nation,

a shepherd boy will become their king,

and a homeless baby will lead them home."

i love that.

random fact: As a punishment for misbehavior, Thai cops have to wear pink Hello Kitty armbands.