Due to the nature of my job, I prefer clothes that give me freedom to move around easily and quickly. I am a caretaker of sort and I love being able to be there for my dad’s clients as soon as the need arises. Now, if you work with the sort of clients I do, you’ll understand why I choose a slightly fitted garment to move around in.
Before I got this job, my boss had learnt from my resume that amongst other qualifications, I was a music producer and especially good with strings. My dad in his generous nature sent me for the interview with food items to give to my boss who was in a crisis situation. I did the interview-cum-auditioning and got the job in no time. Perhaps the dual forces of my natural endowment and the accompanying gift from my dad made the process fast (after all, the gift of a man creates a domain for him to reign as a king in). An e-mail was then sent to my dad that I had got the job.
For the few weeks that followed, I had to shuttle between my dad’s office and my boss’ because I still had to attend to my dad’s clients whilst serving with my boss as his personal assistant. My brothers, all three of them, were already working with my boss at the office on site. (For the record, my boss isn’t my uncle and the job isn’t our family business!)
On a day like others, I came to the site with a message from my dad to my brothers and their head of department. I got there and saw all the members of staff looking worried as though they were just given sack letters. I inquired and found out they had a major project that hadn’t been executed for over a month. On assessing it, I felt the project was too embarrassing for both the reputation of the company and the country. I was also surprised that this project was left to linger this long so I inquired about the benefits that executing this project would bring. My eldest brother overheard me making this inquiry and was irate. I figured that his anger at my effrontery was to a large extent borne out of frustration that none of them had the boldness to take on the project. I didn’t have the requisite qualification for the job as far as field experience goes but I knew I had a history of successfully executed projects. According to company policy, such a daunting task would require someone with a University Degree and all I had was HND from Kaduna Polytechnic.
When my inquiry got to my boss’ attention, he summoned me to his office and interrogated me. I then told him about the two projects that posed a threat to the territorial integrity of my dad’s clients. These projects, though life threatening, were executed using the same strategies I intended to use in executing this project. He suggested I wear the company apparel to the site but I chose to use mine (the slightly fitted garment I spoke about earlier) because I could hardly budge in that of the company. I walked out of his office and headed to the site. I passed by the Oasis Resource Centre to pick up 5 books. These were to serve as reference materials for the execution of the project.
I got to the site and the project’s massiveness made me look like an ant before a grasshopper. I summoned the courage to delve into the task without looking back, calling to mind my past successes of less crucial magnitude. The preface of the project got me angry and I had to rewrite it because it seemed to label my boss, my colleagues and myself wrongly. I rewrote this preface and with a reference from the first of the books I picked earlier, I brought down all the standing facts the project had against our company. Little did I know that in doing this, I was not just executing the project, I was conquering the company behind it. I delved into further research and saw an attachment to the documents on this project that contained strong points of which one of them was very instrumental to the final execution of the project.
When I was through with the final stages, I presented the finished document to my boss and he was quite elated and asked me who my dad was. This came as a surprise to me seeing that he had sent an email to him earlier requesting permission for me to stay on the job in the first place.
By the way, my name is David and in case you are wondering what this story is all about, kindly read the original version in 1st Samuel 16:14-23; 17:1-58; chapters in the bestselling Book, the Bible which I have a hunch you most likely already have. In it, you can read other stories about my life. In case you don’t have one, you can definitely find one in your city, town, state or country. If for any reason you still don’t find one, please permit me to ask you – what planet are you on anyway?
Cast of characters:
Me – David
My Dad - Jesse
My Brothers – Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah.
My Boss – King Saul
Members of Staff – Soldiers (armies of Israel)
Index of terms
D&G – David and Goliath
Caretaker – Shepherd
Clients – My Father’s Sheep
Resume – a servant’s testimony to Saul about Me (family heritage, musical skill, valiant man, fighting, eloquence, debonair and His presence)
Music Producer/ Strings – Harp Player
Crisis situation – distressing spirit from God came troubling Saul
E-mail to My Dad – word sent to Jesse
Personal Assistant – Armor Bearer
University Degree – Army Weapons and Battle Experience
HND from Kaduna Polytechnic – Sling
Company Apparel - Saul's Armor
Oasis Resource Centre – the Brook
5 Books/Reference materials – 5 Smooth Stones
Past successes of less crucial magnitude – killing of the lion and bear
Project Executed – Goliath
Company behind project – Philistia
Document on project/Strong points – Sword (What it takes to kill the giant is in the giant)
Finished document – Goliath’s head
Appendix | Nuggets from the battle field.
You are “Nigeria” as much as David was “Israel” and Goliath was “Philistia”. When people see you, they see your company, your culture, your God etc. When you win, your country (and all you stand for) wins.
When you don’t insist on the kind of life you want to have, you by default go the way of your ancestry.
May God do something through you that will make people who know your father already ask again in amazement, “who is your father”.
It’s not the situations that come our way but how we choose to react to it that determines the ending of the story. The difference between two soldiers is not their uniforms but the way they handle a threat from the enemy.
Can your dressing in anyway assist you on the battle field of morals and first impressions?
Would your belief in chastity, moral rectitude and integrity be well voiced if you didn’t have to use words but had to rely solely on the way you appeared?
Dear Sister, there are clothes of your size. Why would you wear something that would make people wonder how you got in? I think your clothes should tell people you are wearing it and not that it’s wearing you. When men “knock” with their eyes, your clothes shouldn’t seem to invite them to “come in”.
People can only describe you. They shouldn’t define you. Goliath called the army “servants of Saul”, David called them “armies of Israel” 1 Sam. 17:8, 45.
If you are not saying anything, you are not creating anything. David created surprise (amongst other emotions like fear perhaps) with his words to Goliath. – 1 Sam. 17:45
Rehearse past victories (Rev. 12:11) in the face of oppositions. If the Unchanging One (Heb. 13:8.) did it then, He can do more now.
Ps:
If the above story passes as a passage from a version of scripture, what version would you suggest it be called? Just for the fun of it.
Thanks for reading this version of the story of Goliath and the real giant aka David.
Cheers!
- ‘Bayor
