Are you happy with who you are? Do you often wish you were someone else or had a different personality? Are you envious of other people’s gifts or abilities or accomplishments? No doubt all of us struggle at times with accepting ourselves the way we are, and sadly some people spend their entire lives wishing they were someone else. Living a life of envy and disappointment in yourself is living in misery.

I want to examine learning to accept and appreciate who you are—the way God has created you. I’m calling this “Use Your Own Slingshot,” and that comes from the story of David and Goliath.

Off and on throughout my life, I’ve found myself trying to be what someone else wanted me to be. Do you have that problem too? At this stage in my life, it seems to hit me periodically and unexpectedly. Before I realize what’s happening, I’m comparing myself to others or wishing I were different or trying to be what someone else thinks I should be.

Symptoms of this disease are uneasiness in your spirit, feeling guilty about something but you’re not quite sure what, knots in your stomach, and a general sense of gloom and despair. Can you recognize some of these things in yourself? Maybe, like me, it hits you only occasionally, or you may indeed find yourself continually consumed with this disease of not being satisfied with who you are.

David found himself in a situation of being urged to be like someone else, but he knew he had to be himself. You remember how David volunteered to go up against the giant, Goliath. Nobody else in the entire Israeli army had been willing to face him, even the experienced fighters. After all, Goliath was over nine feet tall, so you can hardly blame them.

David was on an errand to the fighting field, to bring food to his brothers, and he heard Goliath making his daily challenge, which he had been doing for forty days. He was goading them and taunting them.

When David heard this, he essentially said, “Why are we allowing this bully to stand there and make threats against the Lord’s army? Why hasn’t someone stood up to him?” His brother, Eliab told him to go back where he came from and tend the sheep. He belittled David and insulted him. After all, he didn’t want to be shown up by his baby brother.

But David didn’t let Eliab intimidate him. Even at this young age, you can see the strong faith of David in his God and his confidence that God could deliver them from Goliath.