A salesman was in a therapy support group with a banker. Both men were recently divorced and trying to learn how to live as single men. They found the support group to be a source of strength, a place where they could be truly honest. Then the salesman ran into the bankers wife in the grocery store. They laughed and chatted. Next thing he knew, she had invited him over for dinner. And he said yes.
It's just dinner, Jim thought. It's just an evening. No need to tell Bob about it. It would only upset him, and nothing will come of it. We are just friends.
So he went to dinner. And it went really well. He had not laughed like that in years. He knew that he must tell Bob, that their friendship was important, but he could not bring himself to do it. He kept thinking about how much it would upset Bob, so when the support group met again, he just said that he met a woman and the whole group celebrated with him. Bob gave him a big hug. And Jim felt like a storm was brewing but he just could not face it. All he could do was wait.
No one wanted to fight the Philistine. He was a huge man, a giant. He had the best armor. He was just scary. So the Israelites sat there and waited in their tents like children. They sat there in shame for days. Until young David came.
He was just a boy. He had never fought in battle. He had no armor. He was small, a shepherd. But he was willing to walk into the battlefield alone and face a giant soldier. And the only reason he was willing was because he genuinely believed that God would win the battle for him. He saw not himself as fighting Goliath, he saw God fighting Goliath and he was God's servant. This was a battle that had to be fought and he was willing to face it.
David steps out into the field to face a foe that should have crushed him. And what does he fight with? He decides not to try to be a warrior who wields a sword. He doesn't know anything about swordsmanship. So David just does what he knows, what he does well. He gets out his slingshot. Gathering five smooth stones, he launches one right at Goliath. It hits the giant in the forehead and the giant falls. Goliath falls from a simple stone cast by a simple boy, a boy who was willing to look trouble in the eye and do all that he could to face it head on.
The disciples couldn't face the storm as they saw it approaching that evening. They saw the clouds, the rain and they couldn't do it, they were terrified. But instead of running or hiding, they did something right. They called on Jesus. He was fast asleep, unconcerned about the storm, so they woke him. Jesus stands up, faces the storm and says just one word. Peace. And the storm clouds fade.
Why is it that we are afraid to face conflict? Why do we do all that we can to run from the storms? Jim did not want to tell Bob because it would be painful. Jim thought, "It will hurt Bob, it will cut him to the bone to know that I have betrayed him, but if I refuse to see her, I will have to confront her and I will have to say goodbye to the most hopeful relationship of my life." The difficulty was so great that Jim hid from it, and his avoidance only made things worse. The storm got stronger, fed by his neglect.
We do all that we can to avoid pain in life, to protect ourselves against the storms, the battles, the conflicts that come to us. But there is no way to get away from pain in this world, it is like trying to walk between the raindrops. You cannot avoid conflict in this life. If you try to run, you will only make it worse. At some point, you and I are all going to have to step out alone and face Goliath.
What does Goliath look like? A troubled marriage. A problem with alcohol. Realizing that our children are in pain or that we have not been happy in our career for years. And we don't want to face it. We want so desperately to pretend that everything is OK. Because we don't think that we have the strength to fight.
But if you sit long enough in your tent, Goliath will come to you. David knew this. The storm will come. So call on Jesus to stand there with you. And find out what you are good at. Fight the storms of life with whatever God has given you, your writing or your art or your voice or your music, fight with exercise or friendships or whatever it is that you love. Bring your best gifts to the battle, no matter how insignificant they may seem, for God can do so much with so little.
The Assistant Bishop of Peru is here with us today. He is here to pray with us because his people are desperately poor and they are trying to build churches on mountainsides in desolate areas. They need our help. The Goliath's that he faces are large and insurmountable. They are poverty and hopelessness. But he comes to us to face these problems head on, to do what he does best which is to pray and ask for help. He comes to one church in Jacksonville for one smooth stone to sling at the forces of darkness. He comes for our generosity and our prayers.
It is so hard to look life straight in the eye, to go out and meet her. It is hard to get that checkup when you think something might be wrong but you don't really want to know. It is hard to realize that you are not happy and to ask yourself why. It is so hard not to just run and hide, but storms only gain speed and momentum when they are ignored. So stand up, like Jesus did. Stand up, like David. Look at them. There are always storm clouds of one type or another in our lives. They change size and shape but they are always about, the storms of life. Look at them square in the face. See where they are and choose your weapon. Then walk into battle.
You do have one incredible weapon to take with you through all the challenges of life. You have a tremendous secret inside your heart, a knowledge that makes you immensely powerful, no matter what the outcome.
The secret is this: No matter what happens to you in this life, the battle has already been won.
It has already been won.
