"If you squeeze a tube of toothpaste, what comes out?” Many times, I stood in front of high school and college students and asked that very question. After some quizzical looks, I hear mumbled answers, “toothpaste.” I next ask “Why?” “Because you squeezed the tube and that is what was put there in the first place.”

This is one of my better character lessons. Goes back to high school. It has stickiness because of Its imagery. It is all about preparation.

When you find yourself in a pressure-packed situation and life squeezes you, what will come out? Whatever you have put in. If you have prepared properly, you will see positive results. If you have put in faith, character, morals, principles; then when you get squeezed, good decisions will come out. A wrong choice made in the heat of the moment is a result of lack of preparation, lack of conditioning or lack of putting quality toothpaste in the tube.

On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 suffered a bird strike immediately after takeoff that annihilated both engines requiring an emergency landing on the Hudson River in New York City. Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger expertly piloted the plane to a safe landing saving all 155 people on board. He was quoted, “I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education, and training. And on January 15 the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.” He had been putting toothpaste in the tube all those years.

Armies at the time of King David had 3 kinds of warriors - cavalry on horseback; infantry with swords and spears; and what we would today call artillery: archers and ‘slingers.’ Slingers had a leather pouch attached on two sides by a long strand of rope. They would put a rock or lead ball into the pouch, swing it around in increasingly wider and faster circles, and then release one end of the rope, hurling the rock. In the Old Testament (Judges 20:16), slingers are described as accurate within a hair’s breadth. An experienced slinger could kill or seriously injure a target up to two hundred yards away. While protecting the sheep, David as a shepherd boy perfected his skills by practicing day after day. When his moment came against Goliath he had plenty of toothpaste in his tube.

Putting toothpaste in the tube is a form of intentional mental conditioning. Just like running and lifting is intentional physical conditioning, you can condition yourself in this area. The more you practice the better you become. However, the opposite also holds true. If you allow your mind to relax too much and get lazy and not take ownership, then it becomes more commonplace to just go through life letting circumstances control you, whether you recognize this lack of control or not. If we don’t, what fills the void can be the negative influences of today’s world.

We need to prepare to meet any challenge. Be putting the right toothpaste in the tube. Be able to step up and answer your ‘Goliath call.’ Make enough daily deposits to cover an unexpected withdrawal.

Our moral alignment reflects what we have internalized, what we have decided is our core essence, what are our values and principles, what we have put in our tube.

Let’s answer His call and be a neighbor to those in need, let’s leave a legacy and make a difference in His Kingdom.

Rejoice and Godspeed.