Blog – 6-15-16
When David set out to take on the giant, Goliath, King Saul tried to protect him by putting heavy soldier’s armor on this small shepherd boy. It’s what protected King Saul, and he wanted to pass that protection on.
The reality was Goliath stood over nine feet tall and wore a bronze helmet and a coat of bronze armor that weighed around 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leggings and had a spear with a 15-pound head. We’re talking LARGE weapons here. On top of that, he also had a shield bearer that went ahead of him. (1 Samuel 17:4-7)
David had a slingshot.
This was like a mouse going head to head with an elephant.
Saul noticed the disparity and tried to help David the best way he knew how, “He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.” (1 Samuel 17:38) The thing is, these things worked incredibly well for Saul, but they weren’t the right fit for David. He tried walking around in them, but they didn’t feel right. They didn’t fit.
David said, no, thanks. I’m going to do this my way.
David took off the armor, gathered five smooth stones and gave Goliath a lobotomy!
There’s a very powerful lesson in what David did that day: What might be a “best fit” for someone else may not be the “right fit” for you. click to tweet
In reality, what fits the king might not fit you!
It’s great to get advice and counsel from trusted friends, I’m all over that, but we have to take it with a grain of salt. We need to use our discretion and decide if it’s the right course of action for us. I’m reminded of a great slogan used in the recovery community that was shared at the end of every meeting, “Take what you like and leave the rest.” Take the things that fit and use them in your life, but don’t feel like you have to try everything. Sometimes what has worked for me won’t work at all for you. That’s okay!
I try to share strategies in this blog and things that have worked for me in my journey, but I know many of them may not work for you. That’s the way it is. My intent is to give you another option, a fresh approach, and I’m hoping you take the ones that fit and put them to use in your life…and leave the rest.
I’ve tried to make things work in my life that simply weren’t right for me. I started off my working career as a court reporter. I loved many things about it, I learned tons of information, I loved the judges and attorneys I worked with, and I made really good money too. It seemed like the perfect fit for me, right.
Wrong!
I’m a creative and there was a void in me court reporting simply couldn’t fill. As much as I loved it and I loved the income, I knew it wasn’t the right place for me long-term. I needed to let the unique gifts I have been gifted with direct my path.
The next time someone gives you advice and tells you exactly what to do because it worked perfectly for them, smile, take their advice to heart, pray about it, and then trust the feeling deep inside you that knows when it’s not the right course of action for you.
Make sure the path you are taking is the right fit!
Hugs and love,
~Jill