Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you were overlooked? Maybe you were passed over for a promotion that should’ve been yours, or felt you should have been chosen for that spot on the team or that character in the play—after all, you’re much more qualified than that other person! Perhaps you’ve even felt overlooked by God, wondering why he didn’t give you the spiritual talents that someone else has or why you haven’t been called to that mission. It’s time to change that mindset.

What if we were to decide to make more of what we have instead of looking at what we don’t have? What if we were to say, “God must have a different plan for my life.” How would that affect us? How would it affect God’s Kingdom? Could it be that God actually has something better in mind?

David, who was perhaps the world’s greatest king, was passed over by his own father. When God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel, David’s father proudly paraded his sons before him—all except David. Knowing God hadn’t picked any of them, Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons. “Well, there’s David, but he’s just a shepherd boy!” Samuel asked Jesse to send for him, and he anointed David to be the next king. Of course, this didn’t happen immediately. David slew Goliath with a slingashot, and he and his men had to run from a jealous King Saul. I’m sure David had his doubts about God's plan, too.

One night, David had the opportunity to slay the king. He could’ve taken history into his own hands, but instead, he chose to honor the Lord and to honor King Saul by sparing his life. I remember a time when I felt overlooked. First, I was passed over for a position I felt I should have had. Then I applied for another job in another program and didn’t get that position either. “What’s going on here, Lord?” I asked him. Sure, I was down in the dumps for several days, but I made up my mind to forgive. And guess what? Just a short time later, I was promoted to a new position in the program that was a much better fit for me than either of the other two! God always has a plan, and His is always better than anything we could orchestrate. We must be willing to lay down our own plans and let Him work in our life. It’s not always easy and it isn’t always fair in the eyes of the world, but it’s always better.