The Lion and the Bear Came First: Small Victories That Prepare You to Own a Home

Everyone remembers the stone and the giant. Fewer people remember the conversation that came before it.

When the young David offered to fight Goliath, King Saul was not impressed. “You are but a youth,” he said, and the giant had been a warrior since his own youth. David’s answer was not a speech about positive thinking. It was a record of experience. While keeping his father’s sheep, he said, a lion and a bear had come and taken lambs from the flock, and he had gone after them and rescued the lambs. “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37, NKJV).

David’s faith in the valley of Elah had been built in the fields near Bethlehem, in fights nobody else saw.

The giant called homeownership

For many families, buying a first home feels like facing a giant. The price seems impossibly large. The deposit takes years. The paperwork, the lender’s questions, the legal fees and the fear of making a mistake all loom over the would-be buyer the way Goliath loomed over Israel’s army. Some people stand on the hillside for years, looking at it, unable to move.

It is tempting to think that what is needed is one great leap of faith. Sometimes it is. But more often, the people who are ready to take that step have already been through a series of smaller battles. Their lion and their bear came first.

What the smaller battles look like

They are rarely dramatic. Consider a few:

• Keeping a rented place well. Paying rent on time, reporting problems promptly, looking after the property as if it were yours. It builds habits, and often a landlord’s reference, that will matter later.
• Saving a little, consistently. Not a heroic sum, but a regular amount, month after month, even when there is always something else it could be spent on. A partner hand is one way many Caribbean households have done this for generations.
• Dealing with one debt. Paying off a card or a loan, and discovering that the discipline is possible.
• Learning basic repairs. Unblocking a drain, changing a tap washer, finding a trustworthy electrician. Owners need these skills and contacts.
• Having the honest money conversation. With a spouse, or with yourself, about what you earn, spend and owe.

Each of these is a small victory. None is glamorous. But each one gives the kind of evidence David offered Saul: God has helped me before, in this kind of thing, and I have learned something in the process.

Saul’s armour

There is another part of the story worth noticing. Once Saul agreed to let David fight, he tried to dress him in the king’s own armour. David put it on, took a few steps, and took it off again. “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them” (1 Samuel 17:39, NKJV).

Would-be buyers are often offered someone else’s armour. A relative insists that the only sensible path is the way they did it. A friend is sure you should buy in the same development they did. An online voice says everyone should own by thirty, or that owning is always a trap. Some of this advice is good. But it may not fit you, your income, your family or your season. It is wise to listen, and then to ask whether you can actually walk in it.

Faith that pleases God

Hebrews tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, NKJV). It is easy to read that as a call to one bold moment. But notice the word diligently. Faith that pleases God is not only the leap at the end; it is the steady seeking along the way.

For the family standing on the hillside looking at the giant, that is encouraging. You do not need to feel ready for the whole thing today. You may only need to face the lion in front of you: this month’s savings, this conversation with the lender, this decision to stop spending on something that doesn’t matter. And then the bear. And then, perhaps sooner than you think, the valley.

Remembering the earlier battles

One practical habit may help. Keep a record of the small victories. The month you finally paid off the card. The time the landlord praised how you kept the flat. The savings milestone. The prayer that was answered about a job. When the big decision comes, and fear rises, read the record. Like David, you will be able to say: the LORD who helped me then will help me now.

This article is general information only and is not financial, legal, tax or other professional advice. Please speak to a qualified professional about your own circumstances.

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