Trinity United Methodist Church (Gainsville, Florida) Daily Scripture - Thursday, 27 February 2014 - Devotion "Be Who God Created You to Be; No One Else!"

Trinity United Methodist Church (Gainsville, Florida) Daily Scripture - Thursday, 27 February 2014 - Devotion "Be Who God Created You to Be; No One Else!"
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic.  He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.  "I cannot go in these," David said to Saul, "because I am not used to them.:  So he took them off.  The he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream...and with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine, Goliath (I Samuel 17:38 - 40)
These words are the lead in to the story of David and Goliath.  And the key is this: Saul wanted David to be like Saul, armor and all, but David couldn't function as someone other than who he was.
Neither can we.  We can't wear someone else's armor, or someone else's dreams, or someone else's assumptions, or expectations. And there are plenty of people all around, ready to hoist their "armor and helmets" onto us, aren't there?  Well, I reckon we're prone to do the same to other folks a bit, aren't we?
The gift of giving another the the space to be him or herself; such a gift.  Why is it so hard?  Why do we tend to expect others to be like us?  Why do we presume to think we know how someone else should be rather than celebrate that they are and are becoming just who God created them to be?  Will you do that today - let yourself celebrate who God created YOU and others to be?!
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