Valerie Rae Hanneman
1 Samuel 17:48-49 (The Message) “That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.”
I’ve been the lead volunteer for Care Fresno Kids Klub for 10 years now. I’ll tell you the truth - it is a hard ministry. Those kids drive me so crazy sometimes and I am truly wiped out when I leave Klub on Friday nights. But I cannot imagine my life without Kids Klub in it. These kids and this ministry hold a big chunk of my heart. In these past ten years I have gone from a woman who, when Jesus called me to this ministry, answered, “You cannot possibly be talking to me - I don’t even like kids” to a woman who has a better understanding of how much Jesus loves me because of how much I love these kids. This ministry has given me so much.
But it hasn’t always been that way. Kids Klub originally met on Mondays, but due to a number of circumstances, we changed our meeting date to Friday. The first year of Fridays was bad but the second year was horrible! Our top attendance that year was 12 - and that included the leaders. I was really bummed about it, wondering if it was worth the effort for so few kids. I was telling Jesus that there was a time to begin and a time to end for everything and if it was time for Kids Klub to end I would accept that. We closed Kids Klub for the summer, and I was trying to find the right time to tell Willie that I was done with it, that if they wanted Kids Klub to continue in the Fall, they had to find a new leader.
Then on a Friday Movie Night, little Rachel came running up to me and jumped into my lap. “Guess what, Ms. Valerie!” “What, baby?” “I am old enough to come to Care Fresno now!” Little Rachel’s older brothers came to Kids Klub. Rachel would come with her mom and she had wanted so much to stay with her brothers but she was too young. Now finally, she was old enough and she was so excited. Only, there wasn’t going to be a Kids Klub that Fall for Rachel.
It felt like I’d been mule-kicked. I went on my face before Jesus. “You know where my heart is, LORD. I’m tired and I’m just spinning my wheels in this ministry. I keep telling You that it is okay if You want to close Kids Klub. But I haven’t asked You what You want. Speak to me, tell me what You want me to do.” I wish that I could tell you that the skies parted and my bedroom was filled with golden light as Jesus told me what He wanted. But that didn’t happen. It was a struggle. In the end, Jesus made it clear. He had called me to that ministry and I wasn’t done until He said I was done. I needed to change my focus from whether or not I was spinning my wheels and onto serving Him. I needed to quit retreating in the ministry and start going forward.
When I think of David being 14, I imagine him looking like my Steven did at that age. Just starting to get his height with pipestem arms and legs, a skinny, gangly body, and a voice that he could not keep from cracking. No longer a boy - but not quite a man either.
Goliath - on the other hand - was a full-grown,9 ft, battle hardened, fully-armored man. For 40 days he had come out and challenged the Israeli soldiers to one-on-one combat. For 40 days Goliath mocked Israel and mocked the Most High God. For 40 days the Israeli soldiers had retreated, trembling, into their tents. Even King Saul was in full retreat. Then 14 year old David showed up. He heard Goliath’s challenge. “Who does that uncircumcised dog of a Philistine think he is talking about our God like that? Whose gonna be the one to knock him flat on his keister?” David looked at the soldiers of Israel and saw that they were terrified. So David went out to face the 9 ft seasoned warrior with nothing but 5 stones and a slingshot. Goliath thought that David was the biggest joke he’d seen. But David didn’t even blink. “You’ve made a big mistake, mister!”, he called out to Goliath, “You have blasphemed the Most High God, and because of that I am going to kill you and I am going to cut off your head.” That did not impress Goliath and Goliath started towards David. David did not retreat back to the camp, nor did he stand and wait for Goliath. He ran at Goliath, then he killed Goliath, and then he cut off Goliath’s head - just as he said he would.
The stone did not kill Goliath, David did not kill Goliath, David’s faith killed Goliath. Goliath was as good as dead the instant that David started running towards the giant, sure in the knowledge that God would give him the victory.
We, as Christ followers, are called into battle and sometimes we are called on to battle giants. Sometimes the giants are of the world. But sometimes the giants are within us. The giants of discouragement, of feeling that you are spinning your wheels, of wondering if you make a difference. Regardless of where they come from, we are not called by God to retreat before them. We are called to run at them sure in the knowledge that God will give us victory.
Care Fresno Kids Klub started that Fall and there was indeed a new leader. Oh, she looked the same as she had for the past several years, but within her was a new heart - a heart that was focused on serving Jesus first. A heart that had vowed, “no retreat - no surrender” And Care Fresno Kids Klub has prospered - not because of anything I have done - but because of my faith in what God can do.
LORD Jesus, my God and my King, my vow to You remains the same. For Jesus - No reserve, No retreat. I will run at my giants knowing that because of You they are already defeated.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org.
Posted by Valerie at January 26, 2007 10:38 PM