Thar be giants in them thar hills!

My brother and I come from fairly lanky stock.  Jim hovers around six and a half feet, whereas I am a measly 5’12” (at least it sounds shorter.)  If you’re tall like us, you’ve probably heard the jokes growing up.  You know, “Hey!  Can you hear me up there?”  (To which I reply, “No problem!  Hot air always rises.”)  And so on.  Neither of us were particularly athletic.  I remember my basketball coach saying “Jump, Dawn, JUMP!” Jim’s comment was simply, “That’s the problem; we never have to jump…for anything.”

Even now at my tender age of 50+, being a 6-foot woman in a 5’5”-foot woman’s world is still a bit of a challenge, even humorously so.  Standing in a group of women, I sometimes find myself slouching since the level of conversation lingers about six inches below my ears.  I converse somewhat more comfortably when we’re all seated.

I’m not a very intimidating personality, which is probably a good thing since people tend to be a bit unsettled by having to look up to someone.  This was part of the problem with the recently escaped Israelites as they came upon the very doorstep of the land God had promised them.  The report came back more than they probably had imagined of the goodness and fertility of the land, but it also came with an unexpected caveat: they were going to have to work a little harder for it then they had originally thought. 

Giants.  The word was frightening.  So much so that they default to a more comfortable position—complaining.  Which led to a lack of trust.  Which led to disobedience.

“The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.”

It was going to take work to clear the giants out.  I can’t point my finger at them, though.  Most of us want God’s good stuff but haven’t the mettle it takes to “clear out the land”.  It’s like wanting a fertile garden to just plant itself.  Instead, God intends for us to work, to sweat, maybe get a few cuts and bruises along the way, all the time co-laboring with Him to build His kingdom, trusting Him to take care of whatever He feels we need. 

But we’re afraid to take on the giants in our hearts, because it’s too painful and scary to “be well”, too many expectations.  We’re afraid to love again, afraid, afraid, afraid.  It’s just easier to go back into the cage and clang the door behind us.  The problem is, as it was for the Hebrews, that entering into all that God has for me isn’t just about me.  It was from the nation of Israel that God was planning to redeem the world back to Himself.  Similarly, God has plans to work through me. 

And you.

So, like our dear predecessor, grab your slingshot and join the party.

Psalm 106: 24   Tyndale House Publishers Inc (2008-06-01). The One Year Bible NLT (One Year Bible: Nlt Book 2)