Walk With Him: Five Stones & A Sling

We can do hard things better if we consider each experience as practice. With this mindset, each challenge can teach us lessons, give us increased confidence, and open our eyes to what new skills we need to gain to respond to the next challenge with strength and God-like poise. David in the Old Testament is the perfect example of this mindset.
Knowing he had defeated a bear and a lion, he was confident he could defeat Goliath. But this confidence was strengthened when he knew the Lord was with him. “…The Lord that delivered me out of the paws of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” (I Samuel 17:37).

If the sling represented trust in the Lord, what could the five stones represent? What have you gathered in your lifetime that helps you defeat your Goliaths? Here are my five precious stones that have been carefully curated over time:

Trust in the plan of salvation, giving me an eternal perspective when I get lost in the weeds of mortality.
My access to God’s power through prayer, the Holy Ghost and the Priesthood.
My covenants, knowing God always keeps His promises (D&C 82:10).
The skills I have proven. For example, assertive communication, self-reliance, forgiveness and being a continual learner.
My family. My friends. My helpers.

With my sling and bag of collected stones, I can do hard divinely better. Sometimes just one will do, but often I need all five.

“The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team’s jersey we want to wear!” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)

“A house doesn’t survive in a storm because the house is strong. It also doesn’t survive just because the rock is strong. The house survives the storm because it is firmly attached to that strong rock. It’s the strength of the connection to the rock that matters.” (Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf)