David and the Ordinary

Last night was my women's Bible study night, and once again I was struck by how many women create an artificial divide between those things that God is "known to be interested in", like church committee work, or service to others, or instruction of our children; and those things that He just doesn't talk about much, like running a household and washing clothes and managing a budget, etc. Of course these women will delight in Proverbs 31, where it talks about a godly woman doing precisely all of those things, but somehow it just doesn't filter down to what we actually do each day.

I've been trying to do my David study. Very half-heartedly, I may add--first, the brevity shocked me (and not in a good way) for each day's study, but coming off of Precepts perhaps that was to be expected; and I need accountability for these sorts of things. Nonetheless, I have been thinking a lot about David and what his life was like before he became king. He was the youngest boy, and he was given the crappiest and loneliest, mundane job of being a shepherd to the sheep. He had to direct them around the hills, canyons, and valleys of Israel, defend them from wolves and lions (no small job, and quite scary for a teen, I'm sure), and he had plenty of time to just sit and watch them eat. Instead of worrying about that lion that was sure to come, or whether it was going to rain, and what that cute girl Tamara next door thought of him, David spent his time pondering God and the Scriptures. We know this from the vast number of psalms he composed--probably some on his harp (another reason I like him!).

So, instead of goofing off, practicing with his slingshot, shooting at birds, David was practicing his harp (again, I admire the fellow because that requires peculiar tenacity), meditating on God's Word, and writing songs of praise. All while he was doing his 'ordinary' shepherd job and probably making fires with sheep dung. You can't get much more ordinary than that, folks. Which goes to prove, even if you're scrubbing toilets, there IS a way to do it and still be keeping an ear out and a mind on the Lord. Now if only I could master this skill when my DD is annoying me!