As a tall and mighty man, Saul was chosen to become the first king of Israel. God chose him and declared that he would become a changed man, able to lead armies and help Israel expand as a nation.
Yet when it came to the exact moment for Saul to be publicly honored as king, no one could find him. It was God who finally revealed, “He is hiding himself in the baggage.”
Saul’s fear and his low self-esteem kept him from acknowledging his true mission. Ultimately, although he embraced his royal vocation, his fear and insecurities led to his downfall.
God has designed a good plan for each of us. He knows how to weave that plan together with our strengths and talents so that we can make a difference in our world. We have a significant role to play in our communities and in our personal networks.
Yet if we hide in the baggage of our past and refuse to come out into the real world, we can miss out on the great mission God has for us.
Sometimes our baggage has been thrown upon us by others – abuse, rejection, critical judgments. But sometimes we carry around our own baggage when we refuse to forgive, when we play the victim card, when we live with a self-critical mindset.
Like Saul, we have the opportunity to be ourselves and to work toward making something good of our lives. We may need the support of a counselor, a coach, a prayer partner or a group of like-minded baggage dwellers.
But we can do it.
We can crawl out from underneath the baggage and find our true calling – the place God has designed for us – the place for our ultimate good.
When we muster the courage to be our true selves and announce it publicly, we’ll find our freedom in escaping from the baggage and accepting our roles.
That’s when we find the abundant life wrapped up in joy.
© 2014 GateWay of Hope – The Helping Place for Hurting Women
Scripture reference: 1 Samuel 10:17-24