Facing Your Dwarfs?

I just got home from an amazing weekend spent down at Trooper Island at Dale Hollow Lake. While there we, our Hope Church community, went through a very profound series on how to face our giants in life.

Pulling from the book of 1 Samuel, we looked at the story of David and Goliath, and how David defeated his giant with five small stones. We applied a word to each stone and worked through our own version of the five stones this weekend. We used Prayer, Priority, Persistence, Past, and Passion as the five stones to kill our giants.

It was so refreshing to see the Lord work up on some folks. He brought healing to some situations, He restored relationships, and He gave many a newness and excitement to bring home.

There was a point in the weekend when we went to the "Giant's Lair". While in this dark, secluded room we thought about our personal giants and wrote them on a window pane and mirror. To conclude the week, we took one stone (just like David) and threw it through the glass - representing how we have gotten over our giant.

But, while in the room, it really hit me.

Forgive me for sounding prideful - just bear with me....but I don't think I have a bona fide Giant that I am struggling with in life.

For me it is a little different.

Have you ever read "Gulliver's Travels"? "Gulliver's Travels", a novel by Jonathan Swift in the early 1700's is about the travels to remote nations by the main character Gulliver. In his travel to Liliput, Gulliver awakens after a shipwreck to find himself held captive by the 6 inch tall inhabitants of the island. Hundreds of little bitty miniature people have tied him down and hold him hostage.

It's not the giants that I fear. It's the hundreds of little things that trip me up. It's the little thing here that takes my focus - or the little thing there that steals my time. It's the financial struggle this week, and then the lack of passion the next. Are these giants that I face day in and out - usually not. But the overwhelming number of little things can sometimes be harder to snuff out than a giant. Just when I begin to walk in freedom and truth over one platoon of little dwarfs, another group will take me down.

But, I know this. I was meant to live for more. I was meant to live for more than swatting at the annoying little flies that seem to swarm around me.

I was meant to live to pursue passion and purpose.

I look to the words of the writer of Hebrews when he talking about his d - not his giants.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
- Hebrews 12:1

What that passage says to me is that I can do it. I possess the ability to persevere and make it. And why? Because I am surrounded by people who have done the same. I am not silly enough to assume that you only struggle with giants - I know you struggle with the little things too....just like me.

And so why spend our time swatting at all the little things - and lets just run through it. Let's run the race that has no boundaries, and no end. Let's let the wind rush through our hair and cool our skin. Let's join in this together and strip off the little things - and run. Just run. You may already be running - and I am just beginning to start. Anyone ready for a jog? Company is always welcome!