Facing Goliath

When you woke up this morning to start your day, what was the biggest challenge you were facing?  Was it getting up for that early morning workout?  Was it preparing for a presentation at work?  Maybe it was just preparation to deal with the foolishness of the day from that annoying co-worker?  No matter what the challenge, each of us has to face a daily conflict that, in the eyes of others, may not be as important as we make it appear to be.  Bottom line: it is significant to us.  This is our “Goliath”.

Perspective – “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view”. The story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, is one that most of us have heard of whether you are religious or not.  Let me summarize: Here we have a young man, that was a keeper of sheep, and became involved in a war, of which, he was not originally a part.  Previously, for forty days, Goliath had challenged the Israelites to send out their greatest warrior but all were afraid.  Now, here comes David.  When he hears the boasting of Goliath, without hesitation, he challenges him.  Of course, the men who would not face Goliath commented that David could not possibly win and had no experience.  David reminded them of this important note: while he was not a “soldier” by definition, he had to face off countless attacks by bears and wolves to protect the sheep, and he did so successfully.  That made him qualified, and he succeeding in slaying the giant Philistine, Goliath.

Whether you are in a patrol car, or an office cubicle, change your perspective of who you are and realize how well you are equipped to face your “Goliath”.  Don’t sit idly by while the circumstances crumble around you because it’s not ” your war”.  You may have a particular set of skills that allow you to diffuse and defeat a situation that will benefit the entire team.  You may have that particular respect, relationship or vocal ability to bring peace during a storm.  If you have ever sat in a training session, you know that often someone will ask a question that you were thinking of but were too afraid to ask, or didn’t want to appear to be less knowledgeable than your peers.  It’s time that we stop letting our circumstances dictate to us how we should respond to any given situation, and take a proactive role in maintaining peace and order.

David received a great reward for his willingness to face a common enemy in a fight that he did not initiate.  I faced many nightmares and sleepless nights after having spent a thankless day in protecting the lives of others; both in law enforcement and the military.  But I realized that my service and sacrifice far outweighed what I could physically see and I benefited greatly from those experiences. Though painful, it was and is my calling, so I embraced it.   If more of us could step outside of ourselves and realize the true power in serving others, we would not only defeat our own personal “Goliath”, but we could win many wars on the behalf of others as well.