He beat Goliath with one stone, a slingshot, and a whole lotta God!
Little scrawny David beat a 9 feet tall, taunting, Philistine champion.
David...
the youngest in his family.
David...
the kid who loved the Lord.
David...
the soon to be king of Israel.
And even though he was going to be king. He still had the same need that we all have, God. I mean, we all know that he won the fight. But he won because of one reason.
He beat that giant because God was on his side and God was the One fighting.
David overcame his circumstances because in the end God always wins!
The odds were against David.
David shouldn't have won.
Everyone looked and saw that David would lose.
But God fought … and God won!
(Haven't read about David in a while? Look back at the true story.)
The story of David and Goliath is one that is so familiar and seemingly so fantasy, right? I mean a nine feet tall giant? Even though we know that the Word of God is true. It is hard to imagine it...A little boy who fought against a giant and beat him with a slingshot. Every kid who has ever gone to church has learned the story over and over again. Yet, this time when I heard the story in church, I was moved to share it.
The story of David and Goliath does not teach us that because I love the Lord in all of my circumstances I will win as I believe I should.
The story does not even teach that the "giant" will always fall.
The truth is that God has a will. This day is a part of a much bigger plan! His plan. He can choose to allow me to lose, win or tie. He can say yes, no or wait. And, even though I may not understand it, the outcome is fair.
But there are some good lessons from this story!
God, not our opposition, should be our biggest worry. God is the most important thing! God is the most important thing, not our opposition, not our problem, not that "thing" that is hard or standing in the way. (1 Samuel 17:4-7, 1 Samuel 17:47)
The obstacles that we confront today will prepare us for the even bigger ones that we'll confront tomorrow. (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
And yes, I did directly steal these from the pastor's sermon. I needed those words and I feel like someone reading this needs them too. His sermon truly summed up some of what God is teaching me in my life right now as I am coming out of a long time of not feeling like "me." I guess you could say, I've been facing some giants (excuse the pun). This story, along with some other scripture, have really encouraged me over the past month. I hope that God will speak to you through His words as well.
Since I live with two orphaned teenage girls and work every day with kids who come from difficult home lives, I have the opportunity to help re-shape beliefs, habits, and norms. Even though it's very hard and even though I mostly have no clue what I am doing, I am grateful that I get to participate in their lives in this way.
The girls we care for currently were exposed to a dark spiritual world up until the time that they came to live with us. To my knowledge their only real Christian influence in their lives has been through their participation in Emanuel House and as you can imagine family roots run deep.
Through my experiences with them, God is teaching me that this life has hard times and there are battles. Many of those battles are spiritual -- things we cannot see but that we can sense. He is teaching me that the battle is the Lord's. It's not mine! (1 Samuel 17:47; Psalm 34:7).
God is teaching me that I can use His inspired Word in a way that I never have before. I have been confronted with things that I have no clue about. The only person that I can turn to is the Lord. I understand like never before that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instructing in the right way! (2 Timothy 3:16)
God is teaching me that it is SO important to raise kids in a Christian home. I have always said that, but God is teaching it to me more and more. I am learning first hand both in my teaching class and in my "raising" these girls how hard it is to undo non-Christlike teachings and habits.
God is teaching me that teaching and demonstrating forgiveness and asking for forgiveness are healthy and necessary for growth and are great lessons for what Jesus did for us. I mean after all He died for us while we were still sinners. His mercy towards us is just that, underserved! (In the Bible there is a story about a prideful man, Naaman, and the little slave girl who forgave him even though he killed her family! Read the kids' version here from the Jesus Storybook Bible. This was the story we read in my 1st grade class this week. It's found in 2 Kings 5 and talks about forgiveness.)
Overall, God is teaching me that perseverance pays off and when life gets hard, I will come out more mature because of the hardship I went through. He is teaching me to be joyful in the midst of it too! (James 1:2-3; Psalm 33)
PRAYER REQUESTS:
For the many people who are coming to visit in the next two weeks! I am so excited. Most are people who I have met since moving here who God has put into my life, and I am so grateful that we will do life together for a bit. Also, a Wesleyan alumnus, Lauren, is bringing a youth group from her church in Alabama this week, and there will be a new intern staying at Emanuel House for three weeks beginning in June. Please pray that God works through me, that I can lead them well, and that I can balance the Mary and Martha in me!
For continued rest in the midst of being mom, teacher, and everything else. Life has been a lot better balanced over the last few weeks and I feel good. Please continue praying for balance and time to refuel.
For obedience over sacrifice, for more God and less Adrienne, and that God's will would continue to be the most important thing.
That like David I will be confident not in who I am, but in who the God that I serve is. And, that every day, anchored in His joy and with faith in who He is, I will wear His armor, even though sometimes I feel like I just have some rocks and a slingshot.
Here are some pics from the past three weeks:
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| [Reading Matters] Many don't get read to at home so reading is so important! Along with Bible stories, we try to read books from the library. This is one of the kids' favorite times of the day. |
[Tasting fruits of spring] Each day I receive fruit as gifts. The kids pick them from the trees found in or around their yards. This day, I received mamón, a new fruit for me. So, we tried the sweet fruit together and also had some mango!
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| [T de Tarta] Practicing the letter of the week "t". |
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| [Bless This Home] Praying with an Emanuel House mom and member of my Bible Study with this group of family, friends and community as she moved into her new home. |
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