Submitted by Lara Cook
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45
I must confess. There was this one task at home that I have been putting off – for MONTHS – and yesterday I finally conquered it. It is a little embarrassing to tell this because it may seem that I’m a totally incompetent housekeeper. Some months ago – many months ago – my husband put a fly killer window decal on one of the windows in our breakfast room. Let me just say right now that there are no dead flies sticking to this paper hanging on the window of my breakfast room. I may overlook some things, but I would never allow dead flies to hang on my window – for months. He asked us all not to touch it because it is poisonous, and don’t try to take it off the window. Well, over the MONTHS, I have cleaned around it but it has bothered me horribly. It is sticky, so dust sticks to it. It is starting to wear out so in the process, it is sort of running down the window in streaks. I was asked to leave it alone, so I have assumed that it has to stay and I can’t clean it off. Honestly, it seems like it would be a difficult task to get it off the window, so even though it bothers me every time I see it, I have been happy to leave it alone. It may even need to be scraped off, carefully, so the the glass doesn’t get scratched – a daunting assignment for someone whose middle name is Clumsy. I will surely scratch the glass. I have looked at it every day for MONTHS and every time I look at it, the pressure builds more. The underlying feeling that there is this thing I need to do, something that I need to take care of, a responsibility unfulfilled. A hard thing that I need to do but keep putting off because I think it will be too hard, and messy to deal with. Yesterday I asked my husband if it could come off and he said YES! emphatically, as if I should have already known the answer and definitely should have already cleaned it off. So, I decide to finally tackle the job and do whatever it takes to get this sticky, poisonous mess off my window.Much to my surprise, it came off after a few tries, no razor blades and no scratched window. Just shiny, clean glass, so easy that I wondered why I had ever hesitated.
It made me think of all the other hard things in my life that I just keep staring at every day, letting the pressure build and thinking that I am not, nor will ever be, capable of overcoming. Never worthy, never deserving, and never equipped, all lies that Satan wants me to feel. Just like the Israelites in the story of David and Goliath. Goliath, the giant, came out every single day and shouted to the Israelite army, taunting them to come and get him. They were terrified, and even though they were an army, felt very incapable because everyone that Goliath went up against in battle ended up in the grave. He was formidable and he knew it. In the end, God used a young shepherd boy, who believed that in God’s power, he was capable. God overcame the giant that day, through David.
God can overcome our giant hard things too. The story above may be a ridiculous example about formidable flypaper, but there are many giants we stare at from the distance, thinking we are notcapable to handle, but in the end, they turn out to not be so hard at all. When God calls us, or leads us in a direction, He knows we are capable in His power. He did not call us to suit up in His armor and stand around looking at the giants, waiting for them to get tired and go away and leave us alone. He makes us capable, worthy, and equipped.
Scripture to Claim:
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:5
