We all root for David, you know. The little guy, armed with only a sling and a stone, standing up to the big, bad bully named Goliath.
David's defeat of Super McMuscle Man is an iconic three-millenia-old metaphor for the struggles and battles we wage everyday, both personal and professional. All of us want to be the one who brains and beheads the giant and earns the praise of those we defended.
If we're going to useDavid's most famous victory as inspiration, though, we need to look at what it set in motion...because once you slay one giant, many more are waiting to march in:
You Will Become Somebody's Goliath:Once word got around that David took out aPhilistinewarrior roughly the size of a truck, David was given command of King Saul's armies. David promptly proceeds to win the "Let's Kill All The Enemies!" game, earning him the admiration of everyone in the kingdom.
Which is great except if you're King Saul, mired at a Donald Sterling-level of unpopularity when compared to Mr. Giant Killer.So Saul jumps full-speed onto the crazy train of jealousy and rides it all over creation to murder David - to do to him what David did to Goliath.
Saul's obsession with cutting David down to size ends up costing Saul his life, and David eventually takes over Saul's throne. Happy ending, right? Uh, no.
Your Life Becomes the Original "Game of Thrones":When David wasn't kicking butt and taking names as king, he was taking wives. Including those that didn't belong to him, namely Bathsheba.
Drunk with his own power and awesomeness, not only does he get her pregnant but he orchestrates the battlefield murder of her husband to cover it up.
David's pride and arrogance sets in motion a decades-long chain of events that claims not just the baby he conceived with Bathsheba but his oldest son as well, shatters his household, sparks a nasty competition for his throne, and indirectly sets the stage for his daughter to be brutally attacked by her half-brother.
Davidlearned his lessonand did many other amazing things during his reign that made him, rightfully, a towering figure of history anda man after God's own heart.
But please be careful when you say you want to be the one who chops down the giant. It sounds like a great gig but it's not all happily ever after.
Your giant-killing work is rarely finished because nearly all of them will stare back at you from your mirror.And if you don'tget humble and get the right help, you may find yourself in someone else’s trophy case.
