Paddleboards and Pageants

“Goliath…stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance. ‘Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy...’ David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.’" 1 Sa 17:23, 25, 32

Last summer my granddaughter had a very scary experience on a paddleboard. She fell off and began to panic and had to be helped back to the floating dock. She was scared, embarrassed and humiliated in front of her family. We of course tried to encourage her, but she felt completely defeated. Thankfully my daughter encouraged her to get on her paddleboard and the two of them paddled down the river. As they got back in sight Kristen was sitting down and Kherington was paddling them back to the dock with a big smile on her face. Just like David she faced her Goliath and the power of that bad experienced toppled to the ground giving her victory. She has the same fearless spirit that her mother had as a little girl and still has to this day.

My daughter Kristen is facing her own Goliath at the end of April. Her giant has been ‘shouting its usual defiance’ during the past year. Last year, she was invited to enter a charitable pageant to have the possibility of bolstering a charity for which she is empassioned. It was a beautiful night and she looked radiant as she glided across the stage. In the end she was crowned winner and took her walk across stage. Someone is the pageant demanded a recount which revealed that she should have been 1st runner up. The next morning the representative came and collected her crown and sash and the new winner was announced without apologies. It was one of the most humiliating and embarrassing experience of her life, but she was extremely gracious and accommodating. I know she has struggled through the past year to make sense of what happened, trying to coral her emotions. But just like her daughter with the paddleboard, she has decided to climb back up on that stage and face her Goliath. Her goal is not to win the crown, but to slay the beast…any negative power that experience holds over her. Just like David she is not going to lose heart any longer from last years’ experience. She will glide across the stage with a sling full of faith and will have victory thanks to the courage and grace of God. It doesn’t take a crown to experience victory when we walk in God's power!

I’m not sure what your Goliath is shouting into your heart this morning but through God’s courage, power and strength you don’t have to lose heart. We have the most powerful Stone to sling at any giant that holds power over us. We have Christ as our cornerstone and all victory is built on Him. Whether your giant is medical, emotional or relational you can dismantle the overarching fear and despair which presently taunts you. So pick up your sling and your stone and run into battle with the God of every moment!

"Reaching into his shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground." 1 Sa 17:49.