I have been a bit behind this holiday season.  It always happens when Thanksgiving falls so late in November.  I have just finished baking my cookies which I normally have done by December 15th.  I wrapped gifts this morning and put them under my tree, again  at least a week later than normal.  I realize that I need to do something different this year since Christmas looks different to me.

I am very much a traditionalist.  I have to use the same dishes for Christmas meals, bake certain cookies in honor of my sweet grandma and hide a pickle ornament on our Christmas tree for Lexie to find even though she is now 25 and no longer looks for it.  I also have to watch classic holiday movies in my comfy holiday pants all day long one day during the season.  This year I looked at those movies differently.  I took the classic lines from each movie and found a Bible verse to emphasis the meaning.  I would like to tell you about a few.

I don’t think we can ever celebrate the holiday without watching, “It’s a Wonderful Life”.  In the movie Zuzu Bailey ( a small girl)  says to her father, “Look Daddy.  Teacher says, “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”  I love being surrounded by God’s angels and to feel their protection.  When the angels went to the shepherd to announce Jesus birth in the Bible the shepherds felt comfort and hope.

Luke 2:10  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

In the same movie George Bailey said, “Dear Father in heaven, I’m not a praying man, but if you are up there and you can hear me, show me the way….show me the way.”  He was was broken and needed God.  He was humbly and innocently asking for help.

Psalm 25:9 He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.

Another classic is “Miracle of 34th Street when a man (named Kris Kringle)  fills in for a drunken Santa and says that he is the real Santa people question his mental health.  In the movie Kris Kringle says “Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind…and that’s what’s been changing. That’s why I’m glad I’m here, maybe I can do something about it.”  I look at Jesus and my faith the same way.  It’s a frame of mind trusting and knowing Jesus is always there.  We are here to spread the Good News.

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is always on my holiday list too.  I watch the cartoon as well as the film version.  In it the movie the narrator says, “Maybe Christmas (he thought) doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.”  Oh he is so right.  Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  It’s not about the presents in any way.  It is truly about His presence coming upon us.  So many focus on finding the right gift when we have all already received His gift which trumps all others.

Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

I can’t count how many years I have watched “Home Alone” but my favorite line is towards the end of the movie when Kevin says, “Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back.”  How petty can life get when we focus on small things and let our emotions get a head of us at the holidays.  We are stressed so we pick fights and have overly sensitive emotions.  Kevin recognizes that a week home alone without his family isn’t a very good life.   This is the same without our church community or family.  We need to always be grateful no matter our feelings or emotions.

Psalm 9:1-2 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

I am so blessed to have God bless me with my ministry so others can share a gratitude heart and God’s Word at the most opportune time.  My love this holiday season-LoLo

We are drawing closer to another Christmas and another opportunity to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need.  Need doesn’t just mean in need of money for holiday buying but it means the lonely, the brokenhearted, the oppressed or imprisoned.  Let look at who these people may be and how we can help in Jesus name.

I do want to start with others that don’t have money for gifts and progress on to the ones listed above.  I have been a single mother making very little money and anxiety would set in about Thanksgiving when I would think about how I would be able to afford gifts for my daughter.  I made $19,000 a year and had a $1,100 house payment plus other basic expenses.  I remember having only $45 one Christmas to buy gifts for my daughter.  I had to be very creative and relied on the goodness of others.  My aunt and uncle would always pay for brunch with Santa and supply the gift for Santa to give my daughter.  They knew I wouldn’t be able to take Lexie if they didn’t pay.  It did make me feel sad I couldn’t provide but then I focused on the blessing of this gift.  We made beautiful family memories at this brunch that can never be taken away from me.  They invited us every year until we moved to Dallas.

I was one of the poor that year but now that God has blessed me and provided for my needs I am giving to others this holiday season.  Now most of it is not monetary because having a ministry I don’t take a salary from the nonprofit but I have other ways to help.  I participated in a secret sister gift exchange that brought me 12 beautiful gifts that I am sharing with those in need.  I received blankets, bath soaps, bracelets, candles and a poetry book.  I would love to keep these gifts but God is calling me to share them as a blessing to others.  I do want to say I did send thanks you notes to all my gift givers and stated upfront I was sharing these gifts.

Hebrews 13:16 16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

I have a lady I see every week at a networking event that sets up our breakfast and makes our coffee.  She speaks very little English but always has a smile on her face.  I am gifting her a bracelet and bath bombs to open on Christmas morning.  I also do a lot of talks at senior retirement communities and I am going to gift the two blankets to a couple of sweet ladies that I know won’t see their families this holiday season.  They always complain they are cold when I see them so I think they will love these lap blankets.

Next let’s move to the brokenhearted.  I come across many people that are at odds with family members and they are estranged from their family.  I think it is so sad when families fall apart primarily when I hear the reason for the fight.  I always feel compelled to sit and visit with people that have been rejected or disappointed by family.  We should all be nurturing to our family members but I know sometimes this is tough when emotions run high.  I just want to listen and tell these people I care and most of all God cares.  Brokenhearted people just want to be heard and know someone cares.  This costs nothing but time and time is a gift from God.

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.

There are many people around us that are imprisoned.  When I say imprisoned I mean living with secrets, addicted to drugs and/or alcohol or living in fear.  I don’t really mean those in jail although they are too imprisoned physically and emotionally.  These people are functioning on the outside but tormented on the inside.  Keeping secrets eats at your health and can disrupt sleep.  Being addicted to a drug or alcohol is an illness just like cancer or diabetes.  You have to get medical help to be cured from this disease.  This is a very challenging group because this help has to come from within.  I can help them to know Jesus but outside of praying for them and holding their hand I am pretty helpless.  This group gets much of my prayer time with God asking for His intercession.

Psalm 146:5-7 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners.

Many people are oppressed by being bullied over their religious beliefs, their race or cultural beliefs.  We have become a very judgmental and unkind nation.  We are hurting others because of our beliefs instead of loving others for their uniqueness.  We must not forget that we are all God’s children, placed here for God’s purpose and yet we continue to judge and tear others down.  I try to help this group of people by reminding them that it only matters what God thinks and no one else.  The people here on earth are not perfect and that people attack others when they lack self-confidence.  These attackers have moved far from God and need to replenish their spirituality.  I always shared a gratitude heart with anyone oppressed because I want them to know God is with them everywhere and I am grateful I had the opportunity to spend time with them.  They can look at the heart and know I care and God loves them.

Ephesians 4:29Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 

I visited with an amazing man today that drives for Uber and Lyft and says he does it for his ministry on wheels.  He likes to share the Gospel with riders open to hearing God’s Word.   A few weeks back he bought a few gratitude hearts from me and he said he gave them to people that got in his car for a ride.  If the feeling was right then he presented the heart to the rider and spoke about Jesus.  I was blown away that he was using our hearts in his ministry.  I am so touched and I told him I would fundraiser for his ministry to have hearts for him to share. He soon found out like I knew that almost everyone you come across can benefit from our hearts and you can only afford to buy so many.   I feel that by giving him hearts for his kindness and respect for others that more people can be touched by our ministry and God’s love as well as his ministry.

1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

I once heard the we are not here to watch history but to make history.  Let’s work together this holiday season to love one another and make a difference in the lives of others.  My love and gratitude-LoLo

It has taken me many years to finally find peace in my life.  I have always been a very anxious and nervous person.  I always focused on the “what ifs” instead of living in the moment of what was truly happening.  As a single mom I overparented my daughter because I was afraid of what could “possibly” happen to her and was never realistic about what “wouldn’t” happen to her.  You may be this type of worrier too and if you are I hope this blog helps you.

I think my own insecurities of losing my daughter somehow haunted me every time she walked out the door or exited my car for school or dance.  It’ silly now as I look back on it because I wasn’t confident in my trust and faith so it led to constant anxiety.  I will also admit that starting my day off with the news didn’t help my worry.

I think because I had lost my first marriage due to drugs and alcohol abuse by my first husband I was so fearful of losing Lexie too.  I felt she was all I had and my source of strength.  I worried about car accidents, alcohol consumption in high school, bullying at school, failure to be there when she needed me, etc.  I never let my phone leave my side because, “What if she needed me?”  Do you live in this constant fear of “what ifs”.

I have to be very honest with you, my peace didn’t come until exactly one year ago.  I had three pressing issues in my life wearing on me constantly throughout my day and then interrupting my sleep.  Three things I was trying to control that was keeping me from my life and the joy I could be having.

The things that had a hold on me was my mother’s health as she had newly been diagnosed with melanoma, a family member was teetering on divorce and my debt was out of control and interest was racking up.  I wanted to fix every one of these problems but they all were too great and I was too little.

I climbed into a hot bath one evening because my body was chilled and my mind was exhausted.  I felt hopeless and just wanted to meditate. I listened to the meditation app and focused on clearing my mind and breathing in deep breaths of fresh air.  My lungs expanded to their fullest and my mind began to rest.  As the end of the online meditation session came to an end I heard the voice on the app say, “When you are ready, open your eyes.”  As I opened my eyes I said to God, “I trust in you Father and I am giving these problems to you.”  I took one more very deep breath and as I did, I felt peace come over me and in my mind I felt the words, “My child, all these will be fine.”  I found peace.  I would like yo help you find peace too.  I want you to know as I sit here today, my mom is cancer free, my family member is working positively on their marriage and my debt has been resolved.  Praise and thanks to God.

The first thing I would like to share with you is John 14:27.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

If you can sit quietly and repeat this verse several times for a few weeks upon waking and before sleeping it will comfort you and become natural for you to go to when you need comfort.  Breath deep as you say the verse to open your heart more fully to what you are saying.  Jesus gives us peace.  It a free gift from Him why would we not want the gift of peace?

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the LORD of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The LORD be with all of you.

There are several types of peace in the Bible; spiritual, emotional and relational peace.  Let’s start with spiritual peace which is the peace of God. Peace with God means that our debt has been paid and God sees us as righteous and as His children.  It is our place to know we cannot understand the greatness of God with our minds so we need to accept that so we can have peace without understanding it.  Don’t overthink this gift.  We are reconciled with God through the sacrifice of Jesus.  It is that simple yet complicated to understand that great of love.

Philippians 4:6-7 “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” 

Now lets talk about emotional peace or peace within us.  This is definitely the second step in peace.  You must allow yourself the peace of God before you move on to emotional peace.  To have emotional peace you must have trust in God that will lead to faith in God.  When you trust someone here on earth you know you can rely on them to not let you down.  This is the same with God but at a higher level.  Relinquishing control of your problems to God when you truly trust in Him you will know that no matter the outcome it is for His good.  You must be accepting of His outcome and not yours. God always brings us through situations better than with our earthly solutions.  When you are living in peace your heart becomes softer and more content with any problem or situation.

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart. 

Lastly let’s talk about relational peace and this is peace with others.  I have talked many times about loving one another even though you may not like them.  It’s okay not to like someone because of their values or opinions but we must love them as a child of God.  I do want to emphasize that if you have the spiritual peace of God and the peace within then you won’t have to work on this peace.  It will just come to you.  I noticed after I had peace within me that those people I could barely tolerate would become people I now eat lunch with and sit and have coffee.  Do you yearn for this type of peace?  I did for many years.

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 

Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the LORD.

If you are struggling to find peace please remember this simple equation.

Peace with God + Peace in me = Peace in God

I am praying for your peace and happiness this holiday season.  May God bless you and comfort you daily through His peace and love.  My love, LoLo

It has been almost 20 months since I started my ministry and although I have this blog, a podcast, Facebook page and Instagram account reaching out to touch people around the world my greatest passion is speaking.  I have decided to publish this blog as if you were sitting in front of me at a public event as I speak.  I want you to hear my story and what I want to share with everyone about how to be a kinder more loving world through practicing gratitude and through hugging others.

It is hard to get a picture of me when I am not talking and moving around!

Hi, my name is Laurie Roberts but you can call me LoLo.  I am a certified gratitude coach and the founder of a nonprofit ministry called Grateful Gratitude.  The purpose of our foundation is to anchor others to God’s love & gratitude by holding a gratitude heart. 

These soapstone hearts are hand carved in Kenya by local artisans and each one is a unique piece of art.  The artisan may be a 12 year old boy or 90 year old woman. The village is in the Tabaka region of Kenya and there are 17 soapstone mines there and basically the only way to make a living is to use the soapstone. The village works together on the hearts. On average it takes 3 hours to make a heart 4 people work on each heart, the miner, the carver, the polisher and the artisan. I purchase hearts through fair trade companies and order hundreds at a time to give away to those that are suffering or I want to show our gratitude for.  By buying through fair trade we are assuring our workers a fair wage to better their lives.

The soapstone is mined in very large 100# pieces and divided into 200 smaller pieces.  The men hit the smaller pieces with a machete to get the initial shape of the heart.  It is then polished and hand carved with designs as piece of art.  When we receive the hearts we ask God for His blessing for love and protection for the person who will eventually receive those hearts. (I show this example of the stages of the heart process)

The heart is a symbol of love and is recognized worldwide.  You do not need to speak the same language to understand a heart means love and if someone is blind they can feel the shape of the heart and know it means love.

I would like to show you how to use a heart.  Every night before going to sleep hold the gratitude heart in the palm of your hand, place it over your heart and give thanks for one thing that has happened during the day. This allows you to sleep with a grateful heart. When you wake up and see your heart you will start your day with love and gratitude.  Also if you have a bad day or feel anxious you can pick up your gratitude heart and find comfort and again be grateful for the things you do have. 

In the past 18 months I have given away almost 2,000 hearts.  These hearts are sponsored by people like you at $5 per heart.  We have been fortunate to have some businesses and groups sponsor hearts allowing us to gift more hearts to single moms, cancer patients, confused teens, lonely adults and local crime victims. You may purchase hearts tonight after the meeting.

We have gifted hearts to 137 police officers at the Allen Police Department; as well as custom blue hearts with the word HOPE on them for Carson’s Crusader who serve families with children diagnosed with pediatric cancer.   We have blessed victims of violent crime in Allen who are primarily women and their children of all ages at an evening of empowerment. We gifted 74 hearts that night in four hours.  I felt so much love as I handed hearts to these broken women in despair and told them that I cared for them and it would be better soon. I saw a light of hope within them as they held their special heart many with tears streaming down their faces.

I am always looking for someone to bless with a gratitude heart.

Grateful gratitude is a ministry to change the lives of others through God’s love and gratitude. 

Let me tell you my story.  You see my first husband who was a wonderful man, very hardworking and a good provider.  After several years of marriage he became addicted to drugs and alcohol as we were raising a small daughter under the age of 5. I never knew if he was coming home at night and if he did what condition he would be in and what he would be under the influence of.  It was sheer terror for me every night.  The only way I could I could survive the daily darkness and fear was by anchoring to God’s love and practicing gratitude which allowed me to escape to a much better and blessed life. I prayed daily and repeated positive affirmations to cause an attitude of gratitude.  I got through that very dark time and it is my mission to help others do the same.  Let’s talk a little about gratitude. 

Gratitude is defined as a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible.  Gratitude is also the healthiest human emotion and there are many proven benefits to practicing gratitude.

1. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships. When you thank someone sincerely a bond is formed almost instantly and they are more likely to build a lasting relationship with you. Express your gratitude for them and build that relationship.
2. Gratitude improves physical health. It has been proven that being grateful and being prayerful or meditating we have less aches and pains as well as heal faster. Harvard Medical School conducted a study with 100 heart patients going through open heart surgery.  50 were asked to say affirmations of gratitude daily and pray if they had religious beliefs.  50 were not asked to do anything.  The 50 being grateful healed faster after surgery.
3. When you are practicing gratitude it is impossible to feel fear or anger. Fear and gratitude can’t reside in the same place. If you are fearful start thinking of things to be grateful for to eliminate that fear. This will take practice but is proven that when you build your gratitude muscle it will be natural for you.  Lexie is a dance and knows that she has muscle memory that records the movement of dance when allows her to dance naturally without much thought.  Gratitude is the same.
4. Grateful people sleep better. When you take a moment of silence before you go to sleep at night and recognize the great moments of your day it is proven you will sleep better. This is why we like to hold the gratitude heart before going to sleep. Did you know that your day is recorded in your brain just before you go to sleep as a positive or negative day?  By being grateful the last thing before sleeping records the day forever in your brain as being positive day.  You can be grateful for anything like a beautiful sunrise or maybe quiet time talking to a dear friend.
5. Gratitude improves self-esteem. When you are grateful for what you have you will lose sight of social pressures to constantly have more and you can appreciate the accomplishments of others without envy. My grandson is almost 2 years old.  99% of the time he is smiling and laughing.  He only fusses when he is hungry, needs a diaper change or is sleepy.  I have learned from Levi that if all my basic needs are met I should be smiling and laughing too!  I call this the Levi Method of Gratitude.

Practicing gratitude cost absolutely nothing. All you need is your mind and heart. Look around and say thank you for the people and things around you.  For example, we are so blessed to have this wonderful time together in this beautiful meeting space.  It’s bright and large and we have plenty of seats for everyone who wants to attend. Joanne has served so many people tonight showing her love and gratitude in this event she planned for you.

I constantly remind myself there are many people without shoes or running water, without shelter or money in their pocket. Even in our community we see others without these basic things. There are people without groceries maybe floating from house to house for a place to sleep or living paycheck to paycheck without making ends meet.  We are extremely blessed to have things in our daily life life food, pocket money or a home and most days we don’t even recognize we have these.  How would it feel to wake up tomorrow homeless or without electricity?

Confucius once said “I was complaining that I had no shoes till I met a man who had no feet.” 

The simplest way to show gratitude is by saying Thank You!  You can say it to a stranger when they wait on you in a restaurant. Tell them you appreciate their service.  So many of these servers are ignored, underpaid and underappreciated.   

You can say thank you to someone you have known for years.  Tell them that their friendship means everything to you.  Over the years we have seen some of our friends move away or die.  Don’t let them leave without telling them how important they are to you. It only takes seconds to say a few kind words.  Mere seconds to brighten someone’s day or someone’s life!

You can even look up to the sky and say thank you to God, the universe or any supreme being you believe in.  By saying thank you, you instantly will lift your mood.  Gratitude heals instantly.

Do you know that smiling at someone causes your brain to release dopamine causing happiness within you?  The good news is smiling causes a mirror effect and when you smile at someone it releases dopamine in their brain causing happiness. That is doubling happiness within seconds!  Let’s take a minute and turn to the person next to you and smile.  This whole room will share a moment of happiness. We will have dopamine flowing everywhere!

Practice gratitude initially by writing a thank you note to someone, meditate, count your blessings or again smile at someone.

 I would also like to talk to you about the importance of hugging.  We live in a society that says you cannot touch or hug others.  Well I say “Hug Away!” because hugs have incredible effects on the giver and the receiver.  Let me talk to you about the benefits of wrapping your arms around someone.

We need 4 hugs a day for survival, 8 hugs a day for maintenance and 12 hugs a day for growth. How many of you are getting your basic 4 hugs for survival?

The nurturing touch of a hug builds trust and a sense of safety. This helps with open and honest communication.  Those that don’t hug tend to shut down communication with others.

Hugs can instantly boost oxytocin levels, which heal feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anger.

Hugging relaxes muscles. Hugs release tension in the body. Hugs can take away pain; they soothe aches by increasing circulation into the soft tissues.  The more hugs the less pain and I would like to add physically and emotionally.

Hugs teach us how to give and receive. There is equal value in receiving and being hugged both parties benefit from a hug.

Hugging helps you communicate your feelings in a way words can’t. I sometimes have difficulty finding the right words to say to someone but with a hug, love is expressed without words. 

For those that don’t like touch there is an alternative to hugging and that is simple touch.  Simple touch is touching the top arm area just making contact.  This is an acceptable social practice that doesn’t interfere with someone’s personal space yet shows them you care.  You can also make eye contact in a sincere way to connect with someone compassionately.  I know people that do not want to be hugged and I still reach out my love to them through these two simple ways of touching the upper arm or eye contact.

Think of a hug as a good kind of medicine that you do not need a prescription for. Hugs express things better than we can with our words. We live in a world with still so much hate and we need to spread more kindness and love. Hug one another and see how powerful it can be.

In closing I would like to say, Gratitude is within you.  You have to decide if you will activate it and live a much more fulfilled life.  Gratitude become effortless when practiced regularly.  I wish each and every one of you an amazing and abundant life and please call on me if I can help you cultivate a more fulfilled life by practicing gratitude.

“The struggle ends when gratitude begins.”  

Thank you again for this opportunity to speak to you today.

 Each and every time I give this talk (4 times this week) I feel my love for God and my gratitude increasing.  I pray that you enjoyed my talk (or words) and that you may be blessed every day with God’s love by practicing gratitude.  My love, LoLo

Psalm 100:1-5

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Psychology Today tells us, “Human beings are built to size each other up quickly. These first impressions are influenced by a number of factors, such as facial shape, vocal inflection, attractiveness and general emotional state. People tend to get attached to their initial impressions of others and find it very difficult to change their opinion, even when presented with lots of evidence to the contrary.”  I would like to change this!

I have worked for many months to try to stop and breath as well as listen to someone I have just met.  I want to let them talk and hear a little bit about them before I decide if they are good or bad by my standards.  How do I do this?  First thing I do is remember no matter what my first impression is that this person was specifically designed by God to be on this earth.  This person is a brother or sister of mine as a child of God.  Let me give you an example of someone I recently saw and how my first response has been changed.

I was participating in a family festival recently for a pregnancy crisis center that teaches the Gospel to those conflicted by an unexpected pregnancy.  They help the mother make a positive pro-life decision keeping as many of God’s babies with us and I must say they are very successful.  At this festival I was blessed to see the wonderful children brought into this world as a result of the centers hard work.  One particular child stood out to me.

This child is an African American albino.  I was mesmerized by his uniqueness and beauty.  This child was about 8 years old and has the most amazing smile.  Somehow joy just came from his smile.  I assumed that because he is different than the norm that he has been made fun of and picked on although I don’t know that for sure.  Our society tends to judge so quickly on how “normal” we think people are and I’d like to ask what is “normal”?  No two people look alike even though twins appear to look alike there are differences.  This beautiful child inspired me again to practice the stop, breath and hear someone first. To focus on what they have to say with my ears and not seeing with my eyes.  This child made me see uniqueness as God’s example of His love.

Malcolm Gladwell is an author that I have become obsessed with recently for his teachings on seeing past the obvious appearance.  He talks in one of his books about the story of David and Goliath and I think this is when my eyes first opened to seeing things are hardly ever as they appear.

He tells of how David , a shepherd was a small man in stature with just a sling. This sling is not a typical sling like a slingshot but a sling used in shepherding to fend off animals preying on sheep. Sheep are defenseless and rely on their shepherd to protect them. Shepherds were extremely skilled using a sling because it was the means of saving their sheep or livelihood and their accuracy was unbelievable. This type of sling was used by the Israelite armies as weapons.  He loaded  rocks into his pouch from the ground to use in his sling.  The rocks in this area where David met Goliath was formed of barium sulfate which is considered an equivalent to shooting a 45 caliber bullet.

The Philistines send their biggest and strongest warrior down the mountain to fight one on one with the Israelite’s strongest warrior that ends up being the small David.  David convinced King Saul to let him fight Goliath against the King’s wishes.

Goliath calls to David taunting him to come to him and fight him and to bring his “sticks” with him.  David stands where he is and loads his sling, fires it and hits Goliath in the forehead right between his eyes (the most devastating area to hit) causing him to fall.  He then runs up to the giant, takes his sword and cuts off his head causing the Philistines to retreat in fear.

Gladwell tells that in this story David is considered an underdog because of his size and his  age and Goliath is considered a mighty warrior that cannot lose a battle because of his strength and size.  David only has his sling and a few rocks while Goliath has all types of weaponry available to him.  But David was not an underdog because of his skill and accuracy and Goliath was actually the underdog.  He is why.

Goliath had a condition call acromegaly which is a pituitary disorder causing gigantism.  This disease also caused impaired vision so when Goliath called to David to “Come to me and fight and bring your sticks” he was doing so because he had very poor vision.  This caused David’s shepherd Staff to look like multiple sticks also.  It says in the Bible that Goliath was led down the mountain yet another clue to his poor vision.

When David told King Saul he wanted to “fight” Goliath King Saul thought it meant combat like wrestling not in the means of sending one shot with a sling to deliver a devastating blow.  This is a misinterpretation.

The thing I learned from this lesson is that Goliath’s greatest strength (his size) was also his greatest downfall.  People feared Goliath for his mighty size without knowing his shortcomings.  You can see more here:

I would think that if most of us saw Goliath today we would query at his differences from us and may lead to some inaccurate thoughts judging him.

Matthew 7:1-2

Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.