DEVOTION ~ How to Slay a Giant

"He reached into his bag and took out a stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead and broke his skull, and Goliath fell face downward on the ground." 1 Samuel 17:49 GNB

Over a thousand years before the birth of Christ, a young boy by the name of David volunteered to fight a nine-foot giant. He tried on King Saul's suit of armor and then rejected it. He looked at the monarch's massive sword and shield. They were too big, too heavy, and he wasn't used to them. So he tackled the problem with the only tools he knew.

He selected five smooth stones from the riverbed and put them in his pouch. He placed one in his sling. The pebbles were only small, yet the chosen one became a mighty weapon. I’m sure David took careful aim with his sling. He knew it was a matter of life and death that he hit his target.

David didn't do anything unusual. He used his sling frequently to protect his sheep. He just did what he was used to doing. He used the tools he was used to. He did the very best he could. And he left the outcome up to God.

Some years ago, I read an article in the magazine, and I decided to offer my opinion. I had never written to an editor in that way before, but I do send off emails many times each day. So I used the tools I knew well. I selected my words with care. I polished the letter until it was the best I could do, taking careful aim at the market. Then I hit "Send".

It wasn’t a novel. It wasn’t even an article. It was just a short e-mail. But a few months later I received a phone call from a lady who lived on the other side of S.Africa. My short email had impacted the lives of at least one couple. I'd hit my target, and it felt good.

As writers, after we've chosen our market and have something to aim for, we need to use our tools, i.e. our words and our computers, in the way we're used to doing. Once we've done the very best we can, we  must take careful aim at a specific market and then let our words fly. As long as we've done the best we can, the results are in the Lord’s hands.

The pen is mightier than the sword. Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Richelieu

OVER TO YOU: What giant can you see ahead of you that you want to overcome this year? How are you going to go about it? 

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband, Rob. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations based on her time in the cancer valley.

Sign up here to receive a short devotional message from Shirley in your inbox once a week.

Please visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, or at  RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or FaceBook.