One of my convictions is that most of us could benefit from having bigger goals in our lives. A little more outsized ambition for who we are, what we can accomplish, and where we want to be a year or maybe five years down the road.
Something I really want to instil in my kids while they’re young is that they can do scary things. They can shoot big and believe in themselves, and all those sorts of catchphrases we might use. But ultimately, I want them to know they should try new things even if they fail. I really think that’s going to help them stumble into the things they’re really good at and gifted at, things they’re really passionate about and might want to give more of their attention and energy to. Sometimes we only find that by having a little bit of ambition for where we want to be.
However, I think what stops us from getting to where we want to go most of the time is not our potential. It’s actually our commitment to the first step along the way. Because of course, to try something scary or to accomplish something big is not just about ambition. It’s about commitment. A lot of steps in the same direction over weeks and months and years to get there.
And I think that’s something we actually uncover in the Scriptures.
I preached a sermon recently on David and Goliath, of all things. This is about as big of an outsized ambition as you can get. But there are little beats in the story that tell us David has been preparing himself for this challenge.
Now, there’s a danger in turning these scriptural narratives into motivational talks, and I’m not necessarily trying to do that. But I do think the writers have embedded literary beats along the way. First, to help us identify with and understand the character of David. But also to give us models of things we can emulate, ways we can structure our ambition to actually get to the places we want to be.
David says, look, I will go and fight Goliath (1 Sam 17:32). And Saul is understandably unconvinced. He likes David’s songs (1 Sam 16:23). He’s less compelled by David’s military accolades. This is how David responds:
“Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 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 rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.” (1 Sam 17:34–37)
(He really likes that “uncircumcised Philistine” line.)
Now, there’s certainly a lot that’s glossed over in this encounter. I mean, is fighting a bear really the same as challenging a trained warrior in one-on-one combat with the fate of your nation hanging in the balance? Probably not. But I do think the story is intended to illustrate a principle. A little outsized ambition is probably good for all of us, but your aspirations also can’t be completely unconnected from your experiences either.
So should you dream big? Yes. Should you believe in yourself? Yes. Should you try things that scare you? Absolutely. A hundred percent. In fact, I think most of us need to reach for bigger, harder, scarier goals in our lives.
But at the same time, every great outcome has to start somewhere practical as well. Oftentimes we spend our time dreaming about fighting giants without ever having gotten in the ring, and that’s probably not going to end the way you hope it will.
So you want to write a book? Start a blog. You want a new job? Start working on a course to develop your skills in your downtime. You want to be in better shape? Take a walk, and do it every day until it’s easy. Then go for a run.
My point is, we should believe big things for ourselves, just like David did. But all of that starts when we put in the work where we are.
Bears come before giants.
At the same time, not going to lie, fighting a bear sounds pretty ridiculous. And to any men reading this who think they could do it: you absolutely need to re-evaluate your grasp on reality. But I think you get my point.
Often what stops us from getting to where we want to go is not our potential. It’s our willingness to take the first step on a very long journey to get there. David’s big moment isn’t born here in the valley with Goliath. It was born years ago, off the page, in the fields. In stories we never saw and struggles no one ever thought were worth writing down.
Chances are, that’s how your big moment will start too.
