Shepherd vs. Giant by Samuel

Shepherd vs. Giant by Samuel - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

Who hasn't faced impossible circumstances or been told that they couldn't accomplish a difficult task? I think every one of us have at one time or another come up against an imposing problem that seems too big or too hard to overcome.

One of my favorite characters in a book is David in the story of David and Goliath. It's a great tale about two warring tribes and an unexpected victory. It's found in Scripture in the book of I Samuel, Chapter 17.

Thousands of years ago, the two armies were camped on opposing hillsides with a valley between them. The Philistines had an enormous soldier, named Goliath, on their side; he had been a warrior since he was a young boy. Every day for almost a month and a half, Goliath would come out dressed in heavy armor and taunt the Israelites morning and evening--daring them to send one of their warriors against him. Each day the Israelites would tremble in fear, unable to find a single soldier among their ranks who would fight the huge warrior.

One day a young shepherd boy named David was told by his father to take some grain, bread, and cheese to David's three brothers, who were among the Israelite soldiers being taunted by Goliath. David delivered the food, but when he heard Goliath's insults, he couldn't believe that all of the Israelites were too afraid to fight Goliath. Despite being told that he would surely die at the hands of Goliath, David determined to fight. Prepared and armored for a conventional battle, Goliath mocked the small shepherd boy and threatened to feed his carcass to the birds.

But David did something unexpected. He wore no armor and took just his shepherd's slingshot and five stones with him to fight Goliath. As the story goes, David killed Goliath that day by hitting him in the forehead with a stone, knocking him down, and cutting off his head with the Philistine's own sword.

This story instructs and inspires me. It teaches me to be independently minded; to listen to good advice, but not to go along with the crowd when the crowd is not thinking straight or is overcome by fear. It encourages me to take risks when the stakes are worth it--and to view what seem like disadvantages as potential advantages. For example, two years ago I transferred into my public high school. I didn't know many people, but I knew that I loved to play soccer. Unfortunately, the team was very competitive; there were 18 players in my class alone. And most of them had the extra advantage of playing on travel soccer teams and receiving specialized training that my family couldn't afford to give me. Still, I went out for the team and did my best. In fact, my disadvantages prevented me from assuming that I would be on the team, which caused me to work as hard as I possibly could at every practice and at every game. I ended up starting for the team this year, and we won the league and the district. I'm not sure I would have made the team if I hadn't been driven by my sense of being disadvantaged.

Another way the character of David in this story inspires me is related to my youngest sister, Gracie--who has a chromosomal disorder. She has many physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges. Being her brother is not always easy or fun. Most people would even feel sorry for my siblings and me in some ways. But I have seen how something that seems like a disadvantage has actually made me a much better person than I might have been otherwise. I have had to learn to be patient with my sister as she struggles with so many things. She often yells at me because she doesn't like when I make noise; she takes everything I say personally because she doesn't understand when I'm joking or tired. And it might look as though I have to do all the giving. But I'm receiving from Gracie far more than I could ever give her. With her simple, loving ways, she teaches me to appreciate small, good things. She requires me to be unselfish. And her hugs and genuine support of me are things that, if I'm honest, I really need. Having to live with a sibling who has a disability could certainly seem like a significant disadvantage; but one of the lessons of David for me is to take what I've been given as being what I need to face challenges.

If David had listened to his fellow soldiers telling him that he had too many disadvantages to defeat Goliath, he never would have fought . . . and won. If he had been like everyone else and followed the conventional path of suiting up in heavy armor, he would surely have been outmatched. But he remained who he was--a simple shepherd boy--and used that identity and mindset to his advantage . . . even when it looked as though he could not possibly win against the giant if he did so. I want to be like David!