Getting In Your Bag When Life Feels Unfair
“David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, and struck the Philistine.” - 1 Samuel 17:49
In the NBA, people argue all the time about who has the best bag. They’re not talking about a backpack or a designer pouch. They mean skill. Handles you can trust. Footwork that holds up under pressure. Counters that work when the defense knows what’s coming. When the game tightens, great players don’t ask for easier matchups. They go to what they already have. They get in their bag.
That idea matters because life works the same way. Pressure doesn’t wait for you to feel ready. Unfair situations don’t pause to explain themselves. Sometimes you’re thrown into moments you didn’t choose, with disadvantages you didn’t create. When that happens, the instinct is to complain about the setup or wish you had someone else’s tools. Getting in your bag means resisting that impulse and leaning into what has already been developed.
David understood this before anyone else did. When everyone around him tried to fix the situation by dressing him up in Saul’s armor, he knew it wouldn’t work. That armor looked impressive, but it wasn’t his. Instead, David reached for what he had used before. A sling. Stones. Skills formed in the field when no one was watching. His bag wasn’t flashy, but it was proven.
What’s powerful about David’s story is not that the fight was fair. It wasn’t. He was overlooked, underestimated, and outmatched on paper. Still, he didn’t wait for life to balance the scales. He showed up anyway with what God had already placed in his hands. His confidence didn’t come from hype. It came from memory. He had faced lions and bears before this moment ever arrived.
Some of you are facing things right now that feel unfair. A situation you didn’t ask for. A responsibility you shouldn’t have had to carry. When that pressure hits, God isn’t asking you to become someone else. He’s asking you to trust what He’s already built in you. You may not like the hand you were dealt, but you can still win with it.
Getting in your bag is not arrogance. It’s faith. Faith that preparation came first. Faith that God knew what He was doing when He equipped you. What you need for this moment is already there.
In the NBA, people argue all the time about who has the best bag. They’re not talking about a backpack or a designer pouch. They mean skill. Handles you can trust. Footwork that holds up under pressure. Counters that work when the defense knows what’s coming. When the game tightens, great players don’t ask for easier matchups. They go to what they already have. They get in their bag.
That idea matters because life works the same way. Pressure doesn’t wait for you to feel ready. Unfair situations don’t pause to explain themselves. Sometimes you’re thrown into moments you didn’t choose, with disadvantages you didn’t create. When that happens, the instinct is to complain about the setup or wish you had someone else’s tools. Getting in your bag means resisting that impulse and leaning into what has already been developed.
David understood this before anyone else did. When everyone around him tried to fix the situation by dressing him up in Saul’s armor, he knew it wouldn’t work. That armor looked impressive, but it wasn’t his. Instead, David reached for what he had used before. A sling. Stones. Skills formed in the field when no one was watching. His bag wasn’t flashy, but it was proven.
What’s powerful about David’s story is not that the fight was fair. It wasn’t. He was overlooked, underestimated, and outmatched on paper. Still, he didn’t wait for life to balance the scales. He showed up anyway with what God had already placed in his hands. His confidence didn’t come from hype. It came from memory. He had faced lions and bears before this moment ever arrived.
Some of you are facing things right now that feel unfair. A situation you didn’t ask for. A responsibility you shouldn’t have had to carry. When that pressure hits, God isn’t asking you to become someone else. He’s asking you to trust what He’s already built in you. You may not like the hand you were dealt, but you can still win with it.
Getting in your bag is not arrogance. It’s faith. Faith that preparation came first. Faith that God knew what He was doing when He equipped you. What you need for this moment is already there.
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