Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. I Samuel 17: 41 – 50
We live in a success oriented world. Success is a big thing. Everyone thinks and dreams success. Success is and means differently to different people. How would you define success? What would qualify as success in our eyes? Bill Gates (Microsoft)– Steve Jobs(Apple) – Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)– Sergey Brin and Larry Page (Google) – Mukesh Ambani (Reliance),and may be a few others who names, photographs and achievements are flashed regularly in the News would definitely figure in one’s list.
Let’s face it! While people still think and dream of such success, such success is almost next to impossible. And so, most people give up. For some people success means Money, gadgets, immigration and perhaps a trophy partner as a wife or husband. Worse, if you don’t have one or any of them you are a lousy loser.Let me tell you for most people there are only two levels in life: being on top (a winner) and being a failure (a loser).
In I Samuel 17, we read of David’s victory over Goliath. Now this is is a fascinating story. The story is replete with all ingredients of a super thriller. David’s triumph over Goliath – a champion of Gath – is a story about the victory of an underage challenger over a formidable champion. And, the ‘rise-of-the-underdog’ theme within its narrative is a compelling metaphor throughout history. Now, if you and I would read the passage from the dominant perspective of success – which is you are a success if you are a winner and if you aren’t then you are a loser, we would only end up reinforcing the already skewed notion of success that is at the heart of our culture.
To me, David wasn’t merely successful because of Goliath’s defeat that day. Of course, David did become the darling of the whole nation, rose to a powerful position in the army and even got to marry the King’s daughter. But, I wonder if that made him a success. Need I remind that success is not an event. Unfortunately, most people work hard to schedule it. They fight to be at the right place, at the right time with the right people. David definitely did not schedule this.
Was it luck then? Was David lucky to be at the right place, at the right time with the right people? A lot of people think that success comes from opportunities. They wait endlessly for the opportune time (perhaps divinely appointed) to embrace success. But, what if luck never favours us? Was David’s success a flash of brilliance – a result of his shrewd strategy?
Perhaps, all of these played their part in the grand scheme of things but David was already a success before he defeated Goliath. On that day, when he defeated Goliath he was only being himself – a success another day. Success does not come from productivity, opportunity, connections and recognition. Success is not a matter of health, wealth and heaven. Denis Waitley contends, “True, success is being persons who can function more completely, effectively, purposefully and gracefully.” Success is doing what you enjoy and are good at – any time, anywhere. It is about finding fulfilment in life and work. David was just being successful – at the battlefield – just as he was a success every other day.
John Maxwell points to two important things about success. Firstly, success is a daily process. It is a way of life. Being successful is not about doing something extraordinary on a lucky day. But, rather, it is about daily decisions and the needed discipline to keep these decisions going. Success is about taking unglamorous decisions when nobody’s watching you day-in and day out. In fighting Goliath, David was only doing what he always had been doing – the lion and the bear with God’s help. On that day, when he defeated Goliath he was only being himself.
Secondly, Success is when you fulfil God’s purposes. It is not about getting somewhere. As they say, ‘ its cold and lonely at the top’. Success is not about making it big and being the neighbour’s envy. It is about being in the center of God’s plans and purposes for our lives. We need to (re)look at success from God’s point of view. It is not about accolades. It’s not about how much we possess. It’s not about our position. It is about doing what God has called us to do and being the best at it.
“True, success is being persons who can function more completely, effectively, purposefully and gracefully.”
