For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.  2 Corinthians 1:12

In the ocean there are untold millions of starfish, but each one has its own unique place in the sea and holds on to life in its own special way. They don’t get lost because they hold on with their legs to where they are.  It is so easy when we are under pressure to pretend. We pretend we aren’t afraid when we face danger or we may pretend to know the answer when in fact we are confused. The problem with pretending is we tend to forget who we really are. The apostle Paul not only chose to remember who he was (and wasn’t), he also spent time reminding others of his weaknesses, problems and difficulties Paul’s style of life was sincerity and simplicity. He had discovered in fact that in the humility of his weakness God would help him more than ever. Rather than choosing to demand greater authority over his church, Paul wrote as a simple shepherd, concerned first for the sheep.

A thousand years earlier another shepherd, named David had chosen a similar path.  When preparing to face the Goliath. King Saul urged David to put on the armor of a king. But when David tried out the armor, he found that though it did offer protection, in the end it only weighed him down too much to fight.

It may be that today you are facing some Goliath of your own. Well intentioned people around you may be offering you the protection of the bulky armor of pride, success or acceptance. But just because somebody else thinks that something is best for us doesn’t make it so. God designed each of us with our own gentle weaknesses and abilities. We are all different starfish placed in God’s ocean exactly where He has planned!.David knew that he was no trained soldier. Just as David with the simplicity of his shepherd’s sling and staff, defeated Goliath, so we also with God’s help by sincerity and simplicity can dare to take on our giants today!