I Gotta Take This Off

O

ne Monday morning, I entered the Modern Language Department as usual and greeted my colleagues with a hearty, “Hello."  Needless to say, the response I got on a Monday morning prior to coffee being made was less than enthusiastic.  So, I made my photocopies and went downstairs to the little room that four of us shared as our office.  After a few minutes, I returned upstairs in search of that ever-necessary first cup of coffee.  One of our secretaries was checking messages and I asked her how her weekend had gone.  She said one word that immediately told me that her weekend had been overly hectic.  That one word was prom.

For those Tidbitters who may be unfamiliar with the American custom of a prom, I'll briefly fill you in.  It is a formal dance attended by high school students in their last two years of school.  It is the social event of the year and most students spend a considerable amount of time preparing for it.  Such was the case with our secretary's daughter.  She had a wonderful time, she went to a fancy restaurant, she wore a lovely black gown, and she came in very late.  That is the standard ritual and it does make for a hectic weekend.

As a former high school teacher, I remember chaperoning seven proms myself!  The most amazing thing about the evening was watching the great metamorphosis that had occurred in my students.  They all looked wonderful and so very grown up.  The girls wore beautiful gowns and the guys looked extremely dashing in their tuxedos.  However, by the end of the evening, the guys had removed their ties and the girls had taken off the high-heeled shoes.  When asked why they had done this, the reply was one word, comfort.

Today's tidbit is about David, the shepherd boy who would become king.  He, too, knew what it was like to wear uncomfortable clothing to an important event. In this particular passage, David has volunteered to face Goliath, the mammoth Philistine champion.  King Saul, reluctant to let David go at first, decides to dress David in his own armor.  David is outfitted with a bronze helmet, a coat of mail, and a large sword. 

Now, all of these things are necessary for battle, and they all have their purpose, but a soldier, who cannot move, is a dead soldier.  Look at David's response to Saul's generosity. In 2 Samuel 17:39 he says, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” It wasn't that David didn't appreciate what Saul had done for him, nor was it that David rejected Saul's offer.  David was a shepherd boy; he knew the armor would prevent him from accomplishing his goal.  Therefore, he took it off. This may seem like the most illogical thing he could have done, but it was actually the wisest. 

Too often, we find ourselves in Saul's position. We know what God has called us to do but we equip ourselves with weapons of our own making.  We approach the day or the situation at hand with a preconceived plan of attack.  We think we must have a certain kind of experience, or that we must use a certain vocabulary, or that we must act a certain way in order to accomplish our goal.  What we end up doing is encumbering ourselves, weighing ourselves down so that instead of becoming effective witnesses and ministers of the gospel we become sitting ducks and easy targets for the enemy.  David's claim must become our own.  We must go forward, like David, in the confidence and comfort of our loving Heavenly Father.  We must remember David's own words as we go out to meet the day:

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

Only by claiming this truth can we ever hope to defeat the Goliaths in our path. So, what are you wearing into battle today?