Out Looking for Some Asses

...or Discovering Your Destiny
(A Reflection on 1 Samuel 9:1-6)

When it comes to figuring out life does it ever feel like you are left blindfolded with a tail in your hand? With every turn you just feel more dizzy and confused! For some reason I imagine that must have been the way Saul, the young guy from the Land of Benjamin, felt when his father asked him to go locate some missing asses. Can you imagine your introduction into the all-time best seller being how your father gave you an assignment to go find his missing donkeys? Thanks dad! Well, actually in the verse right before that it does note how Saul was very tall, dark, and handsome. Saul did go on to accept this brave and challenging assignment from his father, and a few verses later we read how he went door-to-door through five nearby towns trying to pinpoint the location of those beasts of burden. Little did Saul realize that with each place he passed through he moved one step closer to his God-shaped destiny.


Figuring out your destiny can often feel like you are on a search for God knows what! You either have a vague hope that you have a purpose or you have settled with the idea that something will eventually ease your unsatisfying life. It’s like no matter what you type on an internet search engine they are never able to retrieve the entry that tells you what you are to do with your life. The other frustrating part is it seems like everyone around you has discovered what they were created to do in this life. I was recently at a leadership conference where a speaker alluded to this very point. They said we often get caught up comparing our current circumstances to someone else’s highlight reel. So you push on even more searching high and low hoping to find something that doesn't leave you empty handed or feeling empty hearted! To add insult to injury, you are on the eve of graduating from college, or turning 25, or perhaps 30, or dare I say the big 4-0, so you are one step away from throwing in the tail. You have concluded that your life has no purpose, no God-sized plan. You will be stuck looking for someone else asses or some other dead end job for the rest of your life!

The truth is God is always moving us towards His destiny in our lives. I know the pointless class you are taking or boring cubicle job you have doesn’t necessarily shout, “THIS IS YOUR DESTINY!” How could trying to retrieve a few of the most stubborn animals in the world seem like God’s divine appointment either? God is the Alpha and Omega. The Author and Finisher of our life journey! It is definitely hard to grasp this when the world frantically operates in a system that focuses on starting and always creating fresh shiny new things, while kicking yesterday's efforts to the curb like a bad mistake. Your faith in God does not have to operate in the same way. Take hope that where you are in your life right now is not a mistake. God doesn't miss His mark, but it is easy to understand why some people, Saul included, could feel that way. We often feel like the solution to our frustration is to fast-forward through life. Especially when people are telling us that God's destiny for our lives are just around the corner. Just around the corner, what does that mean? Screw today, tomorrow is where it's at! Remember even if you grow weary of being stuck in the middle of nowhere or in some dead end job, God remains stalwart. He is forever faithful! Almost like a stubborn donkey, plowing ahead, leading us toward our divine purpose. (Sorry for the comparison God.)

If you remember Saul was just about to give up and head back after he had searched through the Land of Zuph (Samuel's backyard). His servant, however, convinced him to go ask the prophet Samuel to help them find their donkeys. As the story goes, it was this day in Saul's life that the Lord told Samuel he would send a man from the land of Benjamin to be anointed as king over Israel. Your destiny, my destiny, starts today. For many of us that could be right in the middle of Zuph, some 20 miles away from where you think your life should be, but less than a mile from God's destiny unfolding.