When you think of the word "runt" what comes to mind? Little, maybe insignificant, maybe underdeveloped with a less than average chance in life, something that fights for survival against the odds and against the better nourished siblings who are able to better fight for what they need. I think we could all agree being a runt is not the preferred path for life.
Last Sunday, as I was cleaning the bunny cage I came across a litter of kits (baby bunnies). A week later, and we have two: one thriving and one fighting. I like the big plump one, but my heart goes out to the little runt "peanut" who won't make it without help. He (or she not sure yet) is 100% dependent on what we're able to provide: safety, warmth and nutrition. It's risky and we may lose him, but if we don't invest we'll never know.
To me, it feels like there are so many parallels to the leaders of the Bible. God didn't choose the ones that society would cast its lots as having the best chance of success in leadership or training. They probably wouldn't have been voted "most likely to succeed" and may have had few in their corner willing to walk with them. God, however, chose the opposite, the runts of society, the often uneducated, the outcasts, the overlooked and sometimes ethically challenged. David was a great man after God's own heart, but this great man of God killed Uriah to get what he wanted. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt despite being a self-proclaimed introvert who couldn't speak well. Rahab the prostitute, Ruth the widow, Matthew the hated tax collector and Saul the man who would persecute and kill many Christians before he literally saw the light. Not one of these had the pedigree for success but God saw the heart.
As I write this I'm smiling. God doesn't care about degrees, good looks, monetary success or the people who've memorized scripture after years of study. There is no Earthly pedigree that God wants or needs. The more we obtain, the easier it is to say, "Look at what I did". To Him, the broken, the poor, the widowed, the outcasts, the sinners; these are the ones He pursues. The world sometimes see little in these individuals. I think God sees a humble spirit willing and ready to be molded, a runt fighting for survival willing to be bottle fed by a heavenly Father who leaves the 99 to find the one.
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