Have you ever felt like every direction you turn, you keep screwing things up? I made a mess at work recently – both literally and figuratively – and I felt that way. I wanted a do-over for the whole day.

The die-hard coffee drinkers usually beat me to the punch in the mornings and brew a big pot of caffeine first thing. However, I noticed when I went to the break room that the pot was empty, so I thought I’d be helpful and make a fresh batch. What I didn’t know is that the machine starts brewing as soon as you pour in the water; there is no Start button. I bet you can see where this is going: I poured in the water and then turned away to fetch the filter, when all of a sudden, hot water started spraying all over the counter!

Later, I made a mistake on a budget spreadsheet, and just when I was inwardly chastising myself because it was my fault entirely, a colleague encouraged me and said, “Relax, there are very few things that can’t be fixed.” And, sure enough, it was a relatively simple matter to reverse my error, just like it wasn’t the end of the world to sop up spilled water from the coffee maker.

We have a choice about how we deal with setbacks. We can throw up our hands in frustration, wallow in self-pity, or we can approach situations with an attitude of humility. Various translations of the Bible use the words humble, meek, gentle, and content interchangeably, but I like the way the New International Reader’s Version translates Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are those who are free of pride …” Humility is the opposite of pride.

Pride can prohibit us from being receptive to what God is trying to say or do in our lives. When our pride is wounded, it can stop us in our tracks when God wants us to move. It takes humility to own up to our mistakes, and I would suggest that it takes a healthy sense of humor to learn from them, as well. I don’t always do that well, but it helps to have reminders from others that there really are very few things so dire that we need to stress out about them.

Wars aren’t just fought in combat zones. Check out Ephesians 6:10-18 to see how to prepare for spiritual battle.

Have you ever rallied behind someone – a spiritual leader, perhaps – who let you down? Leaders are still human, but God will never fail you.

As a kid, falling down didn’t hurt so much & getting back up wasn’t so hard! Proverbs 16:18 says something similar, only about our pride.

My dodgeball strategy was always to step out & get hit quickly, so I could exit the game – hated it! What ways have you ever been a coward?

Have you ever felt like you were in a pointless predicament? Will you let God build your character during those times of feeling stuck?

David had pride in his abilities, but he was quick to deflect attention toward his accomplishments to the source of his abilities: the Lord.

When it comes to facing your fears, do you relate more to the armchair quarterback, water boys, smug giant or underdog champion?

Something funny jumped out at me as I reread the story of David & Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 this week. You’ve heard the story: it ends with a bigger upset than when the Jets trounced the Colts in Super Bowl III.

Not only did David single-handedly defeat his foe armed with only a slingshot, but Goliath wielded a sword and spear AND had a shield-bearer guarding him from the front (v. 41)! That tickled my funny bone – the thought of someone trying to shield a nearly 10’ tall giant (v. 4). That’s like a Pee Wee league player trying to block Terrell Brown. Suffice it to say, the guy failed miserably at his job (spoiler alert: Goliath took a stone between the eyes and died).

So, what were the rest of David’s teammates doing while the redshirt freshman challenged the first-round draft pick to a face-off? Verse 24 tells us that they were hiding behind the water cooler, cowering in fear. It’s not until v. 52, after David cuts off the dead giant’s head, then the Israelites charge out from their hiding places to chase down the fleeing Philistines.

I think we can learn a lot from the players in this story. There were the Philistine armchair quarterbacks, who really had little to offer the battle itself, but they rallied behind their champion … until he died, and then they ran for their lives. They faced fear with a cocky, can’t-touch-this attitude. There were the Israelite water boys, who wanted to suit up for the game but were too timid to go out on the field. They faced fear with a spineless, don’t-pick-me mindset. Then, there was David and Goliath. David was bold, albeit ill-equipped (v. 38-39) for the task, and he faced fear head-on. Goliath was conceited (v. 8-10, 16, 42-44) and had probably never lost a fight in his life, so he had no fear and no Plan B strategy.

Chances are, we all fall somewhere between each of these extremes. The point is that we gain nothing by hiding behind fear. Suit up and stay alert, so that when God calls you, you’ll be ready to get in the game.