In the TED Talk below, author and thinker Malcom Gladwell argues that David was not an underdog but actually had the upper hand in the battle due to his agility, accuracy, and expertise with a sling. Goliath, despite his imposing size and armor, was actually at a disadvantage because he was slow and had impaired vision. Gladwell challenges conventional wisdom by suggesting that what we often perceive as disadvantages may actually be strengths, and vice versa.
Gladwell’s recent book “David and Goliath” unveils the hidden advantages of disadvantages and the potential disadvantages of what appear to be advantages. This perspective could be quite thought-provoking, especially on how God equips us in unexpected ways to face our “Goliaths”. God often uses what the world sees as “weak” to accomplish His purposes. Paul learned this from 2 Corinthians 12:8–9 when God denied his prayer request:
8Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
Share with your friends, “What do you think about the unconventional way God usually work? Does it affects the way you deal with life in anyway?”
Wow! What a profoundly enlightening perspective on the story of David and Goliath!🙂 I would have to say that the unconventional way God usually works has greatly affected the way I deal with life. I remember when I first got sober, I would hear people at meetings say, “I’m grateful to be an alcoholic.” In some sense, I vaguely understood what they may have meant, but deep down I really had no comprehension of the real significance of that statement. I couldn’t quite grasp why anyone would be grateful to be an “alcoholic”- to acknowledge that they were too weak minded or lacking in willpower to be able to function as most “normal” human beings seem to be able to do with great ease. Over the years though, I’ve come to understand it better. You see, if I were not an alcoholic/addict, I may likely have never come to recognize my own powerlessness, hence I may have never come to acknowledge my own need for a power greater than myself, and my ultimate dependence upon the One who has all power, our Lord Jesus Christ. I certainly would not know God as I know Him today, would not be able to identify with others who have the same apparent weakness (which is actually our strength,) wouldn’t be able to help them recognize their own powerlessness and would be unable to help “put their hand into the hand of God.” It was just my own pride and ego that prevented me for so long from being able to say that “I, too, am one of them.” There is much misunderstanding among people about “alcoholism/addiction,” but that’s ok. It’s not other people’s job to understand my alcoholism- it’s my job to treat it. It’s a physical malady that requires a spiritual solution, that ironically ends up making it a condition for which I am eternally grateful!
Good morning my beautiful RP ladies!
Though Roger and I have known each other for more than 15 years , we only been together since 2018.
In 2021 Roger and I started to look for a place just to put our foot in the housing market and not have to pay rent instead it’ll go toward paying mortgage. We got a condo knowing that it won’t be our forever home. Though it’s under Roger’s name , we equally pay for half of our mortgage , I pay for utilities , and he pays for HOA and insurance. That time we were still in our active addiction, we fight all the time, Chaos and none stop destructions was pretty much an everyday thing. Though it’s hard to admit I would still be responsible for my part of paying for everything I agree with , on top of trying to save money and putting it in our savings, I of course would not have enough money for buying my drugs, so I start to steal money from Roger . I’m ashamed of this but I needed a fix I needed to just keep on going .
Fast forward to this year in May it is literally the last straw in our relationship, I needed to get kick out of my own home in order for me to find myself again, in order for me to get myself the help that I need. Let me tell you guys, though I was not happy, I found a place and signed a one year lease on it. This turn of event really disrupted my life, I was not prepared at first but this turned out to be the best Worst thing to ever have happened to me.
This to me is the unconventional way of God at work. God needed to kick my ass, let me learn the really hard way, he’s re teaching me of how to be independent again. How to be a decent human being, a decent daughter, sister, mother , and gf again. It seems to be working. I am humble by Gods grace . Today I have 54 days clean and counting and I am truly grateful.
If I keep the path that im heading and trust in God that he will be with me and have faith and trust that he wants nothing but greatness for me then I will be good.
God thank you for everything that you’ve taken away from me and in turn have given me back so much more . Amen.
Have a blessed Tuesday !
I think that God’s unconventional ways of doing things can often be confusing. I work with a lot of kids with disabilities and what most people may perceive as flaws end up being strengths. Most of the kids i work with have ASD (autism spectrum disorder). It is a huge spectrum and the kids at the lower end can barely talk or feed themselves. The kids at the very high end are like Elon Musk who have Aspergers. They may have some deficits but they can remove a computer and completely put it back without any prior knowledge. They can play any musical instruments or read when they’re 2 years old. So what we view as a flaw may not be it after all. I learned from David and Goliath not to judge a book by its cover.
Wow! What a different perspective to be looking at the very familiar story of David v. Goliath and I gotta say that was eye-opening – David was not as weak as I/the work had perceived him to be! This angle that Gladwell had is a reminder to me that God really just does work in every way and He meets me literally where I am at, no matter how unprepared or “underdog” I might appear to be. Like I shared yesterday about my friend Scott who has been a believer for a couple of years now because of a small assignment I didn’t really care about back in high school, God had used that to move and soften his heart so that Scott would seek out who Christ is. It affects the way I deal with life in that I am confident and completely trusting God in all the directions that He’s leading me in all aspects of my life. That was a really good TED Talk®
If we are talking about miraculous events and the overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, then what’s more miraculous then the journey of the Vietnamese people over the last nearly 50 years?
We lived through decades of war. I think many of us who lived through these events can all tell horrific stories of what we saw and our difficult journey to freedom. So many lost of innocent lives. So much talents and souls lost.
I know that it would be hard to convince many from our parents generation that the war was actually “good” for some/many of us. For the first generation such as myself and especially for the second generation following us, I think we benefited.
Yes, it is true that there is still much poverty in VN but for those of us lucky enough to escape the regime to the US and the rest of the world. I think we can look at the result and honestly say that we benefited.
Though my parents were from an educated family in VN and maybe I could have gotten into a college in VN, I could not have access to the education afforded to an American citizen.
The VN education was based on the French system which requires a lot of memorization and very little creativity (my opinion). Under that system I did NOT do well. In VN I was always in the bottom of my class ranking. However, the US system value creativity and results over rote thinking. I excel under this system!
I left VN without my parents and because of that I missed out on many things. I didn’t have a traditional upbringing but because of that I was free to choose my own path. I was not swaddle (overly protected). I can be more independent. I feel that this was better for me.
We all lost our country. Our motherland. Our heritage. But if we are honest with ourselves, most of us are better off at this point. The talent innate in many of us could not have blossom in the old system. We bloom here. Look at how well our VN community is doing in this country.
No single minority group has ever accomplished as much in such a short time in the US as we have. By all measures we thrived here.
From devastations; from so much loss; God sows the seeds and water the garden and we bloom. If we look at our lives and don’t find miracles then we aren’t honest with ourselves and are not grateful enough.
I’m amazed at how my life has turn out Lord. I stumbled here and there. Things are not always so easy or smooth. But from where I was to where I am, I see Your hands in everything. Thank you from the depth of my soul, everything you’ve done for me!
Heart over height, baby! This was a very interesting perspective on an old story. God works in such unique ways and it’s cool to see how He uses our “weaknesses” as strengths. Personally, what comes to mind is how God is using my “weakness” of public speaking for good. I’d say public speaking was one of my top fears and in high school He pushed me to grow in that area and have faith in His word and message during Cru lunch meetings when I had to give a short talk on a passage. Ofc I still dislike public speaking, but I’m confident that God’s words will speak for Himself and will pierce the hearts of anyone who has an ear to listen and a heart to accept.
-dimitri
The Japanese translation of this video is accurate. It was pretty easy to understand. Thank you. I sometimes get confused about God’s unconventional workings. But I think his work is always right and he makes decisions that I should follow. And this video made my trust in him even stronger. I want to continue to understand God more, absorb his wisdom, and make my life more irreplaceable.
I think that the uncoventional ways that God works add to His wonder and incomprehension. Our reservations towards certain situations may look different in God’s eyes. Our weaknesses and the trials we go through may be God’s way of strengthening us. It was interesting to read on David and Goliath in a different perspective; I never entertained the thought of David having an upper hand against Goliath. So when it seems like we are at a point of weakness, we may actually be at an advantage. Being that God’s works in mysterious ways, I do my best to put my faith and trust in Him without expecting anything because I know He will work in ways that exceed what I can imagine.