Armed with this selection
of five polished stones to be propelled by the mighty
sling of faith, we need then but take the staff of
virtue to
steady us, and we are ready to meet the giant
Goliath, wherever, and whenever, and however we find
him.For the
stone of COURAGE will melt the Goliath of fear. The
stone of EFFORT will bring down the Goliath of
indecision and procrastination. And the Goliaths of
pride, of envy, of lack of self-respect will not stand
before the power of the stones of HUMILITY, PRAYER, and
DUTY.
Above all else, may we
ever remember that we do not go forth alone to battle
the Goliaths of our lives. As David declared to Israel,
so might we echo the knowledge, “The battle is the
Lord’s, and he will give [Goliath] into our hands” (1
Samuel 17:47).
But the battle must be
fought. Victory cannot come by default. So it is in the
battles of life. Life will never spread itself in an
unobstructed view before us. We must anticipate the
approaching forks and turnings in the road. We cannot
hope to reach our desired journey’s end if we think
aimlessly about whether to go east or west. We must make
our decisions purposefully. Our most significant
opportunities will be found in times of greatest
difficulty.
The vast, uncharted
expanse of the Atlantic Ocean stood as a Goliath between
Christopher Columbus and the New World. The hearts of
his comrades became faint, their courage dimmed,
hopelessness engulfed them; but Columbus prevailed with
his watchword, “Westward, ever Westward, sail on, sail
on.” (See Joaquin Miller, “Columbus,” in Ralph Henry and
Lucile Pannell, comps., My American Heritage,
[1949], 153–54.)
Carthage Jail, an
angry mob with painted faces, and certain death faced
the Prophet Joseph Smith. But from the wellsprings of
his abundant faith he calmly met the Goliath of death.
“I am going like a lamb to the slaughter,” he had said
over a month earlier, “but I am calm as a summer’s
morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God
and toward all men” (History of the Church,
6:555).
Gethsemane, Golgotha,
intense pain and suffering beyond the comprehension of
mortal man stood between Jesus the Master and victory
over the grave. Yet he lovingly assured us, “I go to
prepare a place for you … that where I am, there ye may
be also” (John
14:2–3).
And what is the
significance of these accounts? Had there been no ocean,
there would have been no Columbus. No jail, no Joseph.
No mob, no martyr. No cross, no Christ!
Should there be a
Goliath in our lives, or a giant called by any other
name, we need not “flee” or be “sore afraid” as we go up
to battle against him. Rather we can find assurance and
receive divine help from Him of whom David wrote in his
inspired psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not
want. … Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow
of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” (Psalm
23:1, 4).
Victory will be ours.
I like to think of
David as the righteous lad who had the courage and the
faith to face insurmountable odds when all others
hesitated, and to redeem the name of Israel by facing
the giant in his life.
Like David of old,
“our cause is just.” We have been placed upon earth not
to fail or fall victim to temptation’s snare, but rather
to succeed. Our giant, our Goliath, must be conquered.
What polished stones
will you select to defeat the Goliath that is robbing
you of your happiness by smothering your opportunities?
May I suggest the stones of Courage, Effort, Humility,
Prayer, and Duty.
