Ready to handle Goliaths

The Bible says that David, a shepherd who eventually became king of Israel, loved God, praying, and playing praises to God on the harp. And when necessary, he was ready to fight off both a bear and a lion that came after the sheep in his care. As a servant on the sidelines of a battle, David even volunteered to go toe to toe with the mighty Goliath, who had come forward to fight a representative of the Israelites, and he took him down with his slingshot.

Thinking of David’s story as a metaphor that applies to us, what might it mean today to bring down Goliaths?

Through my study and practice of Christian Science, I’ve increasingly come to think of our Goliaths not so much as specific people or even situations, but as harmful modes of thought. For instance, fears and oppressive attitudes – mental burdens that negatively impact our lives and leave us unprepared for addressing needs.

I’ve also found that an understanding of God enables us to tackle these mental Goliaths and then see progress on all fronts.

God, Spirit, divine Love, is the wonderful and good origin of what we truly are – not mortals susceptible to harm or limitation, but God’s spiritual expressions, reflecting qualities such as intelligence, purpose, and love. It’s these kinds of good qualities, which come from God, that define us – and so troublesome mental Goliaths are not a permanent, true part of us.

With something of this understanding, we go forward with more awareness of God’s all-defining, entirely good presence – an awareness that dissolves fears, troubles, or evils in thought. As our consciousness is increasingly cleared of these Goliaths, we find ourselves more equipped to deal with and overcome troubling conditions. The textbook of Christian Science explains, “Casting out evil and fear enables truth to outweigh error” (Mary Baker Eddy, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 392).

One time my wife was faced with a daunting problem at work. Needing an answer, she turned to prayer, with a desire to really know and feel how God is the infinite source of intelligence and energy and life. In light of this truth, we are defined not by fears and limiting thoughts, but by the goodness of God that’s expressed in His spiritual offspring.

As she prayed, my wife had an unexpected idea that brought resolution to the work problem by the end of the day.

On her way home, she decided to stop by the supermarket. There, she overheard arguing and noticed shoppers scurrying away from a particular aisle, where she saw two women threatening each other.

Inspired by her experience at work earlier that day, my wife felt a spiritual strength that stemmed from an awareness of God as ever present, and of everyone’s real identity as reflecting God’s goodness. And it came to her, in this case, to step between the two women. Taking one gently by the arms, she said, “You don’t need to act this way.” The women seemed incredulous, but my wife calmly said it again. The impersonal Goliath of hostility dissolved and the women went on their way peacefully.

There’s value in being “prayed up” – consistently nurturing an awareness of God that helps us address mental Goliaths. I’ve found this is more effective than simply hoping answers will come along when problems arise. It brings spiritual strength and inspiration that lead to good resolutions and better lives.

God is the infinite Soul, our real Mind. We innately express God’s qualities of intelligence, purpose, and love – and affirming this in prayer enables us to experience God’s goodness more tangibly. Inharmony of any kind is not part of the consciousness and life that God has intended and maintains for each of us.

So, we can find some courage in these truths – courage to support the atmosphere of thought that brings down and even prevents Goliaths. The Bible encourages us to feel ready and equipped to live and share more of the divine good: “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (I Peter 3:15).

Through prayerful discovery of God’s supreme goodness, we find and share hope and strength that leave no room for scary Goliaths. And in this way we can all play some part in moving toward a better world.