This is a continuation of a previous blog, so if you missed parts one and two, go check them out!
The next principle the Lord has taught me from the story of David and Goliath is this:
David did his best.
Several descriptive words stood out to me when I read the story of David and Goliath this time. For example, verse 20 says, “David rose up EARLY in the morning”
He knew he had a job to do and he got up early to make sure he got it done. Also, verse 22 says, “and RAN into the army.” How many of us would run? To me, these words indicate that David didn’t take his orders lightly.
This passage also showed me that he took care of his responsibilities, as he left both his sheep and his carriage with a keeper, to watch over them while he was away.
APPLICATION: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” (Colossians 3:23).
Do YOUR BEST. But here’s the catch, only YOU (and God) know what your
best is. For example, I’m doing my best at writing this blog. But there’s probably a million people who could write it much better than I do. Thankfully God doesn’t judge me by that. He only judges me on what I do with what He has given to me.
(SIDE NOTE: I am in no way advocating perfectionism. As good at it sounds in theory, and as much as the world advocates it, perfectionism will destroy you and your family quicker than you could ever imagine. When you believe that you are never good enough, or what you do could always use improvements, you have great difficulty in accepting others as well. We CANNOT be perfect. We can however do our best.)
Let me illustrate. If you have tended to your teething baby all day, the goldfish died and your 4 year old is devestated, you’ve been sick, a friend called for an hour phone counseling session, and your washer bit the dust, and the only meal you can muster that night is hotdogs and macaroni and cheese, give yourself a break. Having a bad attitude is going to harm your family a lot more than a TV dinner every once in awhile.
But also remember that God equips you to do exactly what He’s called you to do. So if you’re stressed out and feel like you can’t get everything done ALL THE TIME, look for some things to eliminate. Pray and ask God to show you. He will.
He may show you that He wants you to learn to rely on His strength and not your own.
Or maybe He’ll show you that He wants you to learn what is important and what isn’t. After all, scrubbing your sink with a toothbrush or alphabetizing your spices isn’t really going to matter that much when you get to Heaven 🙂
Maybe He’ll gently remind you that you spend too much time on your phone.
Whatever He shows you, act on it in the best way you know how. And I know you won’t regret it.