Sling Shot Shootin'

 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone…1 Samuel 17:50

Hands down David and Goliath is an Old Testament favorite among the little lovelies every year.  I re-read it for about the tenth time not long ago and the sling shot seemed to stay in my mind. (no pun intended)   It’s really a crazy story when you think about it.  What are the chances we could really inflict great bodily harm using a sling shot?  Since I can’t hit the refrigerator with a rubber band, you can probably breathe easy if I come toward you with a sling shot because odds are good my shot won’t be within 5 feet of my target! It was such an odd weapon of choice for David don’t you think?  I wonder what the giant must have thought as this very young soldier stood before him with it…did he find it insulting or funny or insanely ridiculous?  I wonder if it made him angry or if he just wanted to bust out laughing.

Lately I seem to be confronting the “giants” in my day with a sling shot!  Although David was able to conquer with it, I’m afraid I’m not so successful.  I seem to keep missing the target and I wonder what God must think  as he watches me wildly fling stones around and not really conquer the things that creep between us.  I’m sure on some occasions He must have a good laugh at me; I must look like a nut throwing sand at an approaching army.  I do believe I often miss the WHOLE point of the David and Goliath story.  It wasn’t about David and his sling shot at all…it was about the power of God working through an open, trusting and expectant heart.  David didn’t doubt, he just knew God would conquer. The truth is, David could have faced that enemy with a paper clip or a cotton ball and defeated him because it was the  power of God that did the work not the power of man.  I’m not so good at living that part of the story.  I still think with enough practice, my sling shot and I will get better…NOT!  It's not about the size of the battle or the weapon, it's the size of the faith and trust that determine the outcome.

Sometimes I add to the story.  I continue reading as if the words are really there and tell the story about how David did a big end zone dance joyfully proclaiming his greatness as a sling shot shooter.  Then he goes to King Saul and demands more pay and more fame and tells his story of greatness again and again. I can always count on at least two or three little lovelies to realize I’m making that part up and that leads into a very important lesson in humility.  Perhaps in my own quest for greatness I forget who really needs to aim my sling shot and why.

So we’ve reached the part in the story where I need to make a choice.  Either I need another weapon to slay the sinful enemies and giants in my life or I need to let someone else aim my sling shot because I am a lousy shot!  Let me see...I think I’ll try a little harder to go with the second choice!

A Seed To Plant: Read the story of David and Goliath and then seriously contemplate the things you’re trying to slay with a sling shot and then figure out which ones you need to hand over to God’s precise aim.

Blessings on your day!