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THE DAVID'S CARD

 


What do you do when you fall? How do you respond to defeat? What is your attitude when you are on the ground?


This piece will relate to us all because it is not the question of if we fall or taste defeat, but the question of when we fall and taste defeat. I will share the stories of two great kings, their failures and how they both responded differently when they hit rock bottom. Somehow, I believe the little I will share will serve as part of what we carry along in our journey of life.


Saul was a great king who came to power as a child of circumstances to rule over Israel, what a favour. On a heel of disobedience to God's instruction, he went out of his jurisdiction and offered a sacrifice he wasn't supposed to. Yes, he was caught red-handed, and the ideal thing to do was to confess, repent and admit his wrong, but well, he defended his actions and made the situation worse. 


David on the other hand was a king, who ought to be on the battlefield but chose the balcony instead, which was the wrong place at the wrong time; well we know how it all ended - with another man's wife. Not only did David committed adultery but killed the woman's husband to cover his adulterous act. Unlike Saul, after being apprehended, he was sober, remorseful and repentant. 


They were two kings who hit rock bottom, failed, faltered, and tasted defeat but acted differently. One act singled out David and won him God's heart, he admitted his wrong, confessed and repented. God called him a man after my heart.



This is no preaching, but an illustration of the reality we face every day. Again, what do you do when you fall? How do you respond to defeat? What is your attitude when you are on the ground? Do you play Saul' card or David's? Are you the self-defending type or do you take responsibility for your wrongdoings?


I have learned that to get the best of our defeats, and moments of failure is to first admit them, be remorseful and have a repentant heart. Again, we never rise from the ashes of our defeat without learning why we fall, knowing what led to the fall and resolving what to do when such a situation shows up again; failure to do this will lay a foundation for a more fatal falling. 


Let me wrap up with a quote I got from my devotional, Spoken Words - 365 Days of Rhema of July 20, 2021. It says: "It is a shame to have fallen many times, without learning how to stand. Never pass through any phase in life, without a lesson to show for it".


The bottom line is, when you fall and taste defeat, the natural automatic tendency may be to explain and defend the situation like Saul, but I dare to say that the best thing to do is to play the David's card.


Thank You for reading

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