April 13, 2007
Once, in a day and age when giants were as real as they are today, and dragons just as dangerous, there was a little tailor who lived and worked, hardly noticed among his neighbors. Faithfully and dutifully he arose every morning, sang a song of thanksgiving to his Maker for the hope of each new day, and went about his business with little notice from anyone except those who directly benefited from his diligent work at his humble craft.
His sewing was not fancy, but the quality and care that he painstakingly invested in his work was rare in those parts at that time and place, outlasting by far the glamorous and expensive clothes that came from other tailors. And while many of them began to growth very wealthy as they eagerly (if not hastily) produced their goods, a suit made by this fine little tailor could be depended on to resist tearing and staining even through rough times.
It so happened that on one fine morning, noisy and pesky flies flew through his open window while he worked. They swirled about his head, buzzing little distractions into his ear, urging his sure and steady hand to vary in its pace as it sewed together two straps of leather that were being made into a belt for a customer. But his hands did not waver, nor did he scarcely blink as he kept his mind and his hand on the task before him. The customer, for whom the belt was intended, watched him closely to see if the little tailor would become annoyed, but was impressed as the tailor completed the final stitching. Then, when the tailor flipped the belt over to inspect it, one end smacked with a slap against the top of his work table. The buzzing stopped. When he lifted the belt again, the seven flies that had been flying about his head lay there dead.
“Well, I never!” the customer exclaimed. “You got seven with one blow! That was worth the price of the belt! You keep it as a reminder that a faithful hand is rewarded in the end.” And with that, he placed payment on the table top and strode away, whistling as he went. The tailor stood for a moment, too surprised to move. Of course, he had no idea what the customer had been talking about. What was the big deal about simply finishing the task he’d been given?
But outside his open window stood a small group of men and women who had been commiserating over the devastation caused by a band of seven giants. “There’s too many to tackle,” groaned one. “They’re too big to face,” said another. “I’m not strong enough to stand up to them,” whined one man. “I would… if I didn’t already have so much to do,” muttered another.
Then, suddenly they heard the voice of the tailor’s customer cry out, “You got seven with one blow!” Their mouths all dropped open. They stood a moment together thinking about what had they heard, then they ran as a group to the duke who ruled over them. He also was feeling beaten and beleaguered by the antics and demands of the seven awful giants. “The tailor got seven in one blow!” they all chanted as they gathered about the duke. With delight, he immediately summoned the tailor to himself and, before the tailor could explain that it was only a few flies that he had gotten, sent him on his way to defeat the giants.
Off he went, puzzled and bewildered by the sudden confidence that others had heaped on him. It didn’t take long to find the giants… they were noisy, smelly, and were surrounded by the ruin that their rampage had inflicted upon the world. The giants were grappling with each other and laughing at their sport, squashing homes, businesses, and people caught in their path. The tailor, a bit put off at first at their size and violence, thanked God for His daily faithfulness and, with peace in his heart, stepped up to the gang of giants. The six giants, each locking arms around the head of another, nearly did not see him, but when their yellow and bloodshot eyes alighted on him, they paused in their scufflings. The six horrible and ugly giants each had his named branded into the flesh of his forehead. Their names were “Cruelty”, “Pride”, “Sloth”, “Anger”, “Resentment”, and “Greed”. Cruelty had a burning hot iron; Pride had an iron crown; Sloth a huge, but filthy pillow; Anger a double-edged sword; Resentment an enormous book with scarlet letters on its cover; and Greed a bag that clinked as gold coins do when they’re moved about.
“Well,” the brave, little tailor said as he looked up at the titanic troupe before him, “I’ve been sent to defeat you and banish you from the land.” The giants looked at him, then they looked at each other, and then began to roar with laughter. And as they rolled about on the ground, they guffawed so loudly that they could be heard all the way back in the town (to the dismay of the inhabitants who assumed that the tailor had come to an untimely end). Meanwhile, the tailor simply took up in his hand the one and only tool that he had and faced the giants. In six swift stitches, he bound the giants together, one strong thread for each of the evil brothers. For Cruelty he stitched Kindness; for Pride he sewed Humility; for Sloth there was Encouragement; for Anger he had Forgiveness; for Resentment he stitched Praise; and for Greed he sewed Contentment. By the time the six giants stopped laughing they were already bound and made captive to the brave, little tailor.
Then they began to cry and shout out, begging to be released. “Just you wait!” they sneered as he stood by them, unmoved. “Our brother, Little Doubt, will take care of you!” And sure enough, the seventh giant came striding up the road. “But he looks so small,” the tailor thought to himself. “He’s smaller than even me! Surely he can’t hurt me!” But Little Doubt, when he reached the little tailor and the gang of gruesome giants, made a surly face at the tailor, popped his thumb in his mouth and blew. There was a loud *popping* noise and suddenly Little Doubt stood as high as a house, stooping over the tailor with an outstretched hand reaching for him. But the tailor smiled. He also had a surprise. Little Doubt had puffed himself up to monstrous proportions, but the tailor had bread that the little giant had never heard of before. Taking his daily bread, called “Confidence in the Lord’s Promises,” the tailor ate and then… ZOOM!... he was suddenly a giant to the giants. Little Doubt stood frozen, gazing up at the towering form of the tailor. The tailor calmly turned around and sat down upon Little Doubt, squishing him with the weight of “Confidence in the Lord’s Promises” until he was gone.
“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:9-12 NKJV).
(Thom Mollohan and his family have ministered in southern Ohio the past eleven years. He is the pastor of Pathway Community Church, which meets on Sunday mornings at the Ariel Theatre. He may be reached for comments or questions by email at pastorthom@pathwaygallipolis.com).
