I Love a Good Unhappy Ending—Especially When it Helps Us Face Our Giants

You face giants by facing God first.

Focus on giants—you stumble.

Focus on God—your giants tumble.

--Max Lucado

No one likes unhappy endings.   But we can learn from unhappy endings just as we can from happy ones—if we try hard enough. Take the story of King David in the bible. Maybe you're not even aware that it ends unhappily. Maybe you've just skimmed the surface. You've become accustomed to the David slays Goliath and becomes king part forgetting that's just the appetizer while the prime rib awaits.


David's Story
In the beginning, a young David inspires us to be more than we can be. He triumphs over the philistine with his stones and staff becoming the never-to-be-forgotten boy that slew Goliath! Now that's a happy ending if I ever saw one—an inexperienced boy slays an eleven foot bully! Yes!


But David's story doesn't end there.


David goes on to be a valiant soldier, a wise military strategist, an able administrator, a diplomat, a composer, a musician and a king—of his very own city even—imagine that. King of the City of David. (1 Chron. 11:6-7). Then, on top of everything, David passes a difficult test of character. King Saul, who once loved David and anointed him to be king becomes jealous of David's popularity and wants him killed. At one point, David hides in a cave. Not knowing that David is in the cave, Saul enters alone, without any of his men for backup. David's face to face with his foe, and, yet, what does David do? What a true and noble man should do—he lets his opponent go free. He turns the other cheek. David could have taken the throne right then and there, but he refrains. Triumph again! The scriptures say David "was a man after God's heart" (Acts 13:22). At this point in time, we all love David. We only wish we could be as good as he is.


So, where is David's unhappy ending? It's coming. Because somewhere in all of David's triumphs something happens to his heart. In 2 Samuel 11:1, we read that David sends Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army to battle. It was customary for kings to lead their men into battle, and yet, King David chooses to stay behind in Jerusalem. Why?


We don't know exactly. But what happens next in David's story may clue us in on where David may have set his heart. Perhaps, it was already transfixed on a conquest named Bathsheba. David already had many wives and concubines (a problem for me right there but that's for another entry).


So, back to David. He sees Bathsheba bathing and he calls for her. He knows she is another man's wife—a man who has been loyal to David all along. But that doesn't stop David. Hasn't he gotten everything he's wanted up to this point? And Bathsheba's reasoning for going to David? The privilege of being the hearts' desire of a mighty king perhaps? We don't know for sure, but we do know David and Bathsheba choose to break God's laws. That then leads to another serious offense. Murder. David has Uriah killed in an attempt to cover up his sin of adultery. Where is David's heart now? Certainly, not with God.


David's Heart Fails Him
Now, David has adultery in his heart and blood on his hands. The mighty king has fallen—well, not yet. The story isn't finished. Soon, the baby David and Bathsheba conceive dies. In time, David loses his hold on the kingdom, along with Bathsheba, all his wives, and concubines. His family is in turmoil. David spends the rest of his life regretting what he has done, seeking forgiveness from the God that once gave him Goliath. On a positive note, David's repentant heart birthed some of the most beautiful scripture ever written on repentance, but I wonder—was it was worth the mental torment? Such a heavy price to have to pay for peace.

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness:

according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

"Wash me…from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. . . .

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence;

and take not thy holy spirit from me." ( Psalm 51:1–3, 10–11 .)

Eventually, David receives the assurance that his soul would be "delivered . . . from the lowest hell" ( Psalm 86:12–13 ). But this assurance could not and would not restore the blessings he had lost. God lets David experience consequence. He makes him accountable for his decisions. Blessings that could have been his were gone forever (see D&C 132:39 ). (http://institute.lds.org/manuals/old-testament-institute-student-manual-1/ot-in1-08-sam-psa-27.asp)

The prophet Nathan tells David "the sword shall never depart from thine house." That prophecy is fulfilled as David's children wars against him and each other. One sad tragedy after another. David's son Absalom has his brother Amnon killed for raping their sister—an act that goes unpunished by David. That angers Absalom. But how could David hold his own sons accountable for he, too, had committed high crimes.

Oh, the heartache that must have been in the house of David, only to get worse. David begs for the armies to "deal gently" with his son Absalom, for David's sake (2 Samuel 18:5). But Absalom rides through the dense forest, catches his head in the boughs of a great oak tree and his mule runs out from beneath him. Absalom is left hanging by his hair until the soldiers take full advantage and kill him. When David hears of the death of his son, he utters in desperation, " O my son, Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son! (2 Samuel 18:33).  Still, another son's death is not the lowest point of David's life for he descends even deeper.  At the end of his life, David dies an old man in the presence of a stranger his associates hire to stay with him.

Turns out Goliath wasn't much of a giant compared to the other giants David had to face.

Not any one of us lives a Giant-free life.  Giants come in all shapes and sizes. Some are bottled up. Some are accessed with the click of mouse. Some are billed in oversized payments. And some are stubborn, unhealed wounds that seem to never die. And, yet, I believe each of us still has that spirit of a young David that says, "Get up and slay the Giant!" I don't believe that voice ever left David. Because God never left David. David left God. He stopped listening. He couldn't see himself as the boy who slew a Giant any longer. He only saw himself as a miserable failure. An unlucky soul who sold his soul the moment he said "yes" to the giant.

The Moral of the Story

The moral of King David's story? There are many. And I suggest you study on your own to draw out your own best conclusions. But as for me, David's story is the importance of remembering who you are. Just because you slay one giant does it mean you're home free. The Adversary set his eyes on you a long time ago. And he'll come back for a second and third round hoping that this time…your resistance will be down.

The unhappy ending? We learn from it. We decide never to take our eyes off the straight and narrow path—even for a mini-vacation from the drudgery of royal duties.

Just like David, with God's help, we can win big. But… and this is a big BUT…if our hearts are not solely tuned to God—at all times, and in all things, and all places—we also stand to lose big.

Like the Lord, I can't help but love the David who was the hero and also love the David who was human. So, too, are we. Hopefully, before it's too late, before the giant over takes us, we'll reach inside our satchel and pull out one more stone.

A Big Thank You 

To author Max Lucado, I thank you. I thank you with deepest gratitude for bringing to life the story of King David. In David's story, I found that I love unhappy endings…because in them lies the secret to facing Giants. If you keep a young David's heart, you will always win.

Question of the Day:  Who is your Giant?  And what are you going to do about it?


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