THE IMPORTANT LEAST

“Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind because three days ago I fell sick.” ~ I Samuel 30:13

REFERENCE

I Samuel 30:9-20

It is easy to ignore certain people: the poor, servants, cleaners, refuse collectors, or the gatemen in the office. Most often, these people are at the bottom of the ‘food chain’ in society or organizations; we tend to overlook their usefulness, but they are the ‘important least’.

David lost everything he had, but God promised him restoration if he pursued those who plundered him. On the pursuit, David met a dying young man whom his master abandoned because he was sick and felt he could do without him. David and his men thought otherwise; they saw the importance of this nameless servant, so they fed him and gave him a drink. When he revived, he pointed David in the right direction and that led him to his massive victory.

The Amalekites saw this man as the least of their concern and could afford to leave him to die. David and his men, however, saw him as an ‘important least’. A slave, an Egyptian, dying, yet valuable. They saw him as an asset to their overall victory, and he proved to be that.

A surface-to-air missile destroyed the plane of Charles Plumb, a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. He ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and was in prison for six years in Vietnam. Decades later, at a restaurant with his wife, a man approached him, called him by his name, and told him about his plane and the Vietnam experience. Plumb was shocked.

“How did you know that?” asked Plumb. “I packed your parachute,” he replied. Plumb was amazed and grateful at the same time. He thought, ‘If the parachute had not worked, I would not be there today’. Later that night, Plumb kept thinking about the man. He wondered how often he might have seen him and never said, “Good morning,” or asked, “How are you?” since he was a fighter pilot and the man was just a sailor. He thought of the long hours the sailor spent in the belly of the ship, carefully weaving the parachute, which later determined his fate.

Who is packing your parachute? Every successful person has someone who has their back, providing what they need to make it through the day. They are nannies, drivers, cleaners, office assistants, etc. Have you ever paused to imagine how important they are to you? Do you pay attention to them? Do you greet and pay them well? They are your God-sent ‘important least’.

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL TEXTS:

Job 31:13-15, Colossians 4:1, and Luke 7:2-4

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TO DO:

+ Take time today, look for one (or as many as you can) important least person in your life, and make them feel appreciated.