Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller
Quote for the day:
“To like and dislike the same things, this is what makes a solid friendship.” -Sallust
Today’s Proverb
(Wisdom says…) I love those who love me, and those who search for me find me.
Proverbs 8:17
Melons, Lions, Bears, and Giants
“God is preparing you for what He has prepared for you.”
-Corrie Ten Boom
There’s an anecdotal story that I’ve always loved: a wealthy city man stopped in the hamlet of Sugartown to buy some of our area’s famous watermelons. Seeing an unusually large melon, the stranger turned to a local boy. “Son, I’ll bet you five dollars you can’t eat that entire melon.”
The boy said, “Wait right here. I’ll be right back.” He ran out and returned in a few minutes. He then broke the melon open and ate it all and sucked up the juice. The duly impressed man handed over the five dollar bill. “Tell me one thing. Where’d you go when you left.”
“Sir, I ran home. I had a melon about that size on the front porch and I ate it. I knew if I could do that, I could definitely eat this one.”
It’s a cute story with a good lesson: Experience gives us confidence.
This same formula in shown in the memorable story of David and Goliath.
As David volunteers to fight the giant Goliath, he tells King Saul, “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear* will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. I Samuel 17:37
As a young shepherd, David had fought off predators attacking his sheep. He had confidence from prior experience and success.
It gave him confidence in facing Goliath.
His greatest confidence was in the true God he served. This is reflected in his words as he addressed Goliath, “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel… for the battle is the Lord’s.” (v. 46, 47)
The combination of faith in God and David’s confidence in previous battles gave him the gumption and grit to face this obstacle.
As they say, the rest is history.
Whether it’s eating big melons or fighting a bear, prior experience gives us confidence. In fact, in God’s great providence every “small job” we have is preparation for bigger tasks.
That’s why we must and should be faithful in whatever and wherever God places us.
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
-Mother Teresa
* My favorite bathroom graffiti of all time: Q. “What did the bear say when he entered the bar?” A. “I’m looking for the man who shot my paw. “
