Read: 1 Samuel 17:31-39
“So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.’ So David took them off.”—1 Samuel 17:38-39
Once he accepted David as Israel’s champion to face Goliath, Saul gave David his own armor and sword to battle the giant. Saul’s offer was well-meaning, intended to enable the young man to defeat Goliath. The armor and sword were designed for Saul, a man much taller than the rest of the Israelites (1 Samuel 9:2), so they didn’t fit David. David couldn’t do battle with untested, ill-fitting equipment. The very thing intended to help was a hindrance to David’s mission.
As you face your own Goliath’s, well-meaning people try to “help” with the benefit of their solutions and experiences. You’ve tried their input and discovered what works great for them simply isn’t a fit for you. To succeed, you must shed the weight of trying to be someone else, and fitting their mold.
If God calls you to a purpose, He equips you to fulfill His will. Sometimes that equipping is gained through difficult preparation times. David’s experiences as a young shepherd resulted in him having to defend his father’s flock from attacks by predatory lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:34-36). From those shepherd experiences, David learned skills that equipped him for a fight that would change the course of David’s life and impact an entire nation. When the time was right, God made David His champion to defend His flock (Israel) against a different kind of predator, Goliath.
Regardless how well the armor and sword fits others, recognize it’s the equipment designed for them, not you. Fight the battle the way God has called you to fight. Free yourself from the weight of trying to be someone else. Courageously choose to be the “you” God has destined you to be. You can only fail at being someone else; but only you can succeed at being yourself…
Lesson to Remember: God created you as you are with a specific purpose in mind. You are the only person who can succeed at being you.
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”—Psalm 139:14
This is so very true! We should encourage others not try to change them to be clones of us. Thank you for the timely word.
Indeed! Each of us are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image!