And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. - I Samuel 17:38-40

We all know the rest of the story. David faces
Goliath and brings him face down in the dirt with
a stone from his sling (not to mention a mighty
shove from God). Have you ever wondered what
would have happened if David had faced Goliath
as Saul intended for him to do? What if David
had gone out wearing over-sized armor and
carrying a sword that was likely as big as he was?
What would have been the outcome?

David was wise enough to know that one size does
not fit all (despite what some clothing tags may
say). What may have worked best for Saul was
not necessarily what would work best for David.
That's an important lesson for each of us to
remember.

Often in life, we try to get through by using
someone else's strategy. We listen to advice
from television talk show hosts and wonder why
things in our lives aren't working out the way
they should. We follow in the footsteps of our
heroes, yet fail to accomplish even an inkling of
what they've accomplished. This leaves us
doubting our purpose in life and weary of going
on, but could it be that we are trying to fight
life's battles in someone else's armor?

God did not create all of us with the same talents
or personalities. We are each unique. He has a
distinct purpose and plan for each of us, and His
will can only be performed by using the tools He
has equipped us with.

Let me give you another example. When it comes
to cars, I'm an idiot. I can put gas in the tank,
and sometimes I can figure out how to get the
hood open. That's about it. I don't know how to
change the spark plugs or even charge the
battery. My husband, on the other hand, can take
engines apart and put them back together with
minimal effort. When he talks "car talk" with me,
it's like hearing Charlie Brown's teacher. "Wah,
wah, wah, wah." He's using words, but they don't
mean a thing to me.

So, of the two of us, which one would make a
better mechanic? Obviously, the one who has the
knowledge and the tools to perform the job.
That's how life is. We each have a purpose. It's
our job to find out what it is and to do it. The
best place to start in finding out what plans God
has for us is to stop trying to use the tools of
others and instead look at the tools He's given
us. It's good to have role models, but just
because something worked for them does not
mean it will work for us. We must find God's
specific will for our lives.

So, what tools do you possess? Patience? Skill
with numbers? Love of animals? Musical talent?
Gather your tools today and put them to work
for the glory of God. After all, our paths will be
much smoother if we'll stop lugging around oversized
armor and hand-and-a-half swords. Let's
stick to our own tools...even if they're as simple
as a sling and a stone.

Excerpt from Random Ramblings of a Raving Redhead