“Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now.” — 2 Samuel 19:7

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Psychologist William Marston once asked 3,000 people a powerful question: “What have you to live for?” He was shocked when 94% of the respondents said they were simply enduring the present while waiting for something to happen in the future. They had hope for tomorrow, but no purpose for today.

Can you relate? If we just focus on what we’re going to be doing tomorrow, we’re going to miss what God wants to show us today. If we focus on everything that’s wrong, we will miss all that’s right.

In 2 Samuel 19, the leader of David’s army, Joab, called David out. They had just won a big battle and taken back the kingdom, but at the cost of losing David’s son who had tried to assassinate him. David was grieving when Joab was bold enough to speak truth to David (2 Samuel 19:5-7). After reminding David of all the good that happened in the battle, he explained that David’s behavior suggested his troops meant nothing. He finished by saying, “Now go out and encourage your men.”

Joab wanted to remind David of everything that was right and good in the hard situation. He refused to let him remain focused only on what was wrong, and therefore lose out on the good today.

I know it may be hard to see sometimes, but there is purpose in today. Now go out there and find it, focus on it, and thank God for it!

— Sarah Roberts, University of Oklahoma softball chaplain

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