In honor of Shifter’s first anniversary coming up in just a few days—on July 1st—I wanted to talk about one of the important Christian themes in the book.
In it, the Alpha of the Dragon shapeshifting clan, Sirath, wants to burn villages and slaughter all the humans. Beroan is a dragon shifter, and he knows how wrong this is. He wants to find a way to stop it, but the first step he must take is doing the right thing. No longer will he go when Sirath commands him to fly with the other dragons and burn the villages. He defies Sirath and doing so leads he and his family to shame and even danger.
As a result, he’s forced to betray his family for the sake of the right thing.
Doing the right thing can be so very hard sometimes. It’s even worse if you’re the only one willing to do the right thing. If your friends and maybe even your family chooses not to do the right thing, your willingness and desire to do the right thing even when no one else will, could falter.
When the world seems to stand against you, know that God is on your side. You are not and never will be alone. Once, David stood up against a giant. He was only a boy. But Goliath was massive and vicious. He literally had the entire Israelite army full of trained soldiers shaking in their boots. None of them were willing to trust God and fight Goliath. So, a little shepherd boy named David had the faith to stand up to Goliath and fight him. He trusted that God would give him victory and God did.
More than that, later, David went on to become king of Israel and God led him to many, many more victories because of David’s faith.
Beroan had to do the same with Sirath. Some dragons believed in and followed him. Others didn’t, but none of them were willing to stand up to him. Beroan was. He was willing to do the right thing.
Are you?
Our world may not consist of having to fight a giant in a battle, or a dragon in one for that matter. But the giants and dragons in our world take on a different appearance and meaning. Maybe you’re the only one willing to pray at lunch at school. Or maybe you’re the only one willing to witness to someone on the street, or willing to not give in and cuss. Maybe your friends or family want to watch a movie you know is wrong, but you are afraid to face the giant and stand up to it to do the right thing.
Whatever your giant or dragon is, you may be absolutely terrified to face it. Maybe it isn’t even the dragon or giant that scares you; maybe its being willing to face your friends and family who aren’t doing the right thing. Like Beroan, you need the strength to do what’s right, no matter who’s against you. Like David, you need the courage to face a giant that everyone is terrified of.
You can only find the strength and courage you need through Jesus Christ.
If you face the giant and dragon in your life, with God by your side, you can’t lose.
