The Tall Man Hiding in the Luggage

Do you know what it feels like to be picked for something big? Something so big it makes your tummy go tight and your hands go cold?

That is where our story begins.

There was a young man named Saul. He was tall, taller than everyone. When Saul stood in a crowd, his shoulders rose up over all the other heads, like one tall tree in a field of grass. And he was handsome too, the kind of person you notice the moment he walks in.

Not long before, the people of Israel had begged God for a king they could see, a king like all the other nations had. And God had said yes. Now it was time.

One day Saul went looking for his father's donkeys, which had wandered off. He searched and searched and could not find them. But God was doing something Saul could not see. Step by step, God was leading him toward a man named Samuel, a man who listened to God.

For God had whispered to Samuel, "Tomorrow I will send you the one who will be king."

So when Saul came walking up that dusty road, just looking for his lost donkeys, Samuel was already waiting. Samuel poured oil over Saul's head, sweet and shining, and said the biggest thing. "God has chosen you. You will be the king."

The king! Saul, who only came to find some donkeys.

You might think Saul felt proud. Instead he felt small and afraid. "Me?" he said. "I'm from the littlest family, in the littlest part of the land. Why me?"

And later, when it was time for everyone to gather and meet their new king, Saul was missing. They searched the crowd for the tallest man in the land, and he was nowhere.

He was hiding. Tall Saul was crouched down low among the bags and the baskets and the bundles, hiding in the luggage. Hiding from the big thing God had given him.

Oh, I understand that. Sometimes the thing we are chosen for feels far too heavy for our small hands.

So they ran and pulled him out, and there he stood, head and shoulders above them all, and the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

He looked perfect, the tallest and handsomest man in all the land. Surely this was exactly the king they needed.

But a tall man can still have a frightened heart, and a handsome face can hide a heart that is not whole. As the years went on, Saul's heart did not stay soft toward God. The outside of Saul was wonderful. The inside of Saul was broken, and no crown could mend it.

The people wanted a king who looked strong on the outside. But what every heart needs is Someone who can reach all the way inside and make the broken part new again. One day God would send a King like that, a King who would not hide from the heavy thing but carry it, a King who would kneel down low to find us even when we are hiding in our own luggage.

For now, tall Saul wore the crown, and very soon that frightened heart of his would get him into trouble. Turn the page, and listen for the sheep.