[Daniel, to Goliath:] You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel's armies, whom you curse and mock. 1 Samuel 17.45 It doesn't take a giant to kill a giant! I remember back when we actually went to church, one of the girls (age 5-6) would repeatedly ask me for the story of David and Goliath. I'd try and convince her to have a different one sometimes, but we'd always come back to this tale at some point! She clearly passed that love on to her little brother too, whose dad asked him why he loves the story so much this week. And with an innocent look and a smile on his face, he answered, "because tiny David killed the giant Goliath!"
With kids, good and bad is so easy! If the good one kills the bad one, it's happy days! I remember when I lived with a family a couple of years ago, and we were watching The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe for film night, and when it got to the ending fight scene, the 4-year-old girl saw Aslan's army go charging off and was shouting, "Yes, go, go, go, kill the witch," like she was in some 16th century witch-hunt!!! It's not so easy now. Did Goliath want to fight for the Philistines, or was he forced because of his great size? Why was this war happening anyway? Who had started it (if it's ever that simple...)? I'm not a fan of violence, in any form, and this tale has lots of it! But there are times when I have felt like what I was up against was bigger than I could overcome. Like I'm tiny David against the giant Goliath. When I was going through my times of disordered eating and struggling with anorexia, it has felt like a giant standing between me and the way to being healthy again. And those times certainly felt like a fight. A fight it was often easier not to fight, like the Israelites, cowering and shaking in their tents, not putting anyone forward, hoping it would all just be fine in the end, even if they didn't actually do anything. They could take the mocking and the shame, the humiliation - but they weren't willing to take the pain of trying to fight and losing. And each time I've felt like I was in the hands of anorexia (those giant hands coming out forwards out of my illustration), I am convinced that I have only survived because I finally let God come and fight it for me. God is the reason tiny David killed the giant Goliath. And God is the reason we can overcome things that are far too big for us to overcome on our own! If you feel like you're up against something way bigger than you can overcome, remember today that it doesn't take a giant to kill a giant. God is there, waiting for you to let God in and transform the possibilities! Stay safe, and take care!
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So teach us to number our days, That we may get a heart of wisdom. Do return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90.12-14 (ESV) Does God care how we spend our time? I guess we're confronted with that question a little more now (at least those of us stuck at home without our usual work to do). But even those still needed for work at the moment might be confronted with the issue of whether it is worth it, when life can be so fleeting - especially for those who've been in hospital and have been scared of losing their lives. What are the things that make life worth living and time worth having? And how much of our lives do we actually spend on those things?
Ellen White, the 19th Century church-founder, who lived from 1827-1915, wrote that: 'The value of time is beyond computation. Christ regarded every moment as precious, and it is thus that we should regard it.' ~ Ellen G. White, Be Like Jesus, p.78 Time is something we all have, but that we all prioritise differently. It's often hard to say what is the right way and wrong way to gather and use our time. There are enough good things to do that you could fill a thousand lifetimes with them! But we have to be selective. Consider mapping out all the things you spend time on, and reflecting on the things you want to spend more time doing. If there's some aspect of your work or busyness that can be streamlined, try it. And give the remaining time to something important - to building lasting relationships with your family and friends, or reconnecting with God who gives peace and reveals truth. If you have any successes, let me know, because this is something I massively struggle with! I always have so much that I want to do, and often have to stop myself and reconfigure my daily time to make carve out space for the seemingly non-productive things that make me human and connect me with my God. Stay safe everyone, and take care! May my prayer be set before you like incense... Psalm 141.2a (BSB) So many people are lifting up prayers to God, so many people talking about God, so many people sharing something of God's steadfast loving kindness with their neighbours, with their family, and with those who are hurting. And I am convinced, that as our prayers are lifting up to God, God sees them (all smells them if they truly are like incense!), and God acts.
Whatever comes from all this, I pray and hope that it will be a world more aware of the effect we as humans have on each other and have on our planet. I pray and hope that we'll be more conscious of what we are giving our time to. And I pray and hope that those of us who know God's unfailing love will be more courageous to share it with others. Please God, act for good here. Stay safe, and take care! Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5.7 (NIV) Have you had those nights? When you've just got so many thoughts rushing through your brain that you can't sleep? Some of them seem reasonable things to keep you up - sadness after watching the news, concern for friends or family. While others are just something you did during the day which you could've said in a better way, or even half dreams you've had and now you're just awake thinking about them! Every now and again you look at the clock and see the night slip away. And you know you're going to be so tired in the morning, but try as you might, sleep doesn't come.
Well there is somewhere we can go when this happens. One of my pastors was sharing how she experienced this, and she was so wrapped up dwelling on 'what ifs' and worries, that she just tossed and turned and twitched and... gave up. In the end she searched out this verse in her Bible. 'Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.' She took God at his word and wrote down everything she was anxious about, on little pieces of paper. And then she slept. In the morning, she places those pieces of paper in a box, since called 'My WORRY Box'. If you're struggling to deal with all your thoughts and anxieties, why not make your own box - a physical way to signify giving them all to God. God cares for you. Think about that. God really cares. For you. Wants what is best for you. Wants you to thrive. Wants you to be free from the heavy weight anxiety settles on you. So take God at his word: cast your cares on him, and let him care for you. Stay safe, and take care! But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will wise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Malachi 4.2 (NLT) Not so long back, around January, I was exhausted all the time. I would go out to work, and by the time I got home it was not abnormal for me to just climb into my bed and fall asleep. Now, I wasn't working long hours, and I'm the sort of person who is usually go-go-go, so it was frustrating and a little alarming in its almost constant-ness. The tiredness also made me get ill more often, which when you're in your first year of working in a school anyway means getting ill A LOT. So after a few weeks I decided to go to the doctor and had a blood test - nothing serious, just on the low side of a few things, one of which was Vitamin D. Unsurprising given it was the middle of winter and I live in the UK! I talked to a doctor at my church (because I didn't really understand my test results and because there was nothing terrible, my doctor never called about them...) and he suggested a daily multivitamin including iron and vitamin D, and so that's what I got! And since then, I've been absolutely fine! I've had lots of energy, done lots of things, and feel stronger. Sadly, I still caught things at school, but they certainly didn't hit me as hard. I was surprised at how much of a difference it has made!
But maybe that's like our faith too. We go about our normal lives and suddenly we find there's not as much energy in it - not as much zest or interest. We've been doing all the things we were supposed to be - exercising (doing good things), eating healthily (studying the Bible), creating head-space (praying regularly), and yet, it's just become tiring! Well perhaps just as I was so dependent on this "sunshine vitamin" that I hadn't been getting enough of, our spiritual life takes a slow-dive when we're not getting enough exposure to the 'sun of righteousness'. We can't always take our to-do lists into our faith. Productivity can't always be our goal. Slow down - soak up the rays of health and healing. God has what you need. As always, stay safe, and take care! |
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AuthorI'm a recent Cambridge Theology graduate now studying for a Masters in Biblical Studies and blogging about all sorts of things! I'm interested in faith, Church, theology, social action, the great outdoors and being creative, and all of those things - along with many more - come through in my posts!
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