There are seasons in life when finances don’t feel like numbers on a spreadsheet.
They feel like giants.
Debt that won’t go away.
Bills that keep piling up.
Paychecks that disappear before the week is over.
And sometimes the hardest part isn’t the numbers themselves.
It’s the voice in your head whispering, “You should have done better.”
In 1 Samuel 17, the Bible tells the story of David and Goliath. For forty days the giant stood in front of Israel’s army, taunting them. Every soldier saw the same thing — a battle they were certain they couldn’t win.
No one stepped forward.
I think many of us know what it feels like to stand on that kind of battlefield.
Financial struggles can feel exactly like that. Not a small obstacle. Not a simple problem to solve.
A giant.
The Giants We Face
For many moms, financial giants show up in different ways.
Debt that seems impossible to pay off.
Paycheck-to-paycheck living that leaves no margin for unexpected expenses.
Bills that keep coming, whether we’re ready for them or not.
And often, underneath all of that, there’s something even heavier.
Regret.
The quiet thoughts that say:
If I had just made different choices…
If I had figured things out sooner…
If I had done better.
I know those thoughts well.
Over the years, I’ve faced my own financial giants. Student loan debt that climbed higher than I ever expected. Medical bills that eventually landed in collections. Seasons where our family lived paycheck to paycheck, barely covering the essentials.
Sometimes it feels like drowning in quicksand.
You try to dig yourself out, but the more you move, the deeper you sink.
You pray, you plead, you ask God to open a door or provide a way forward.
And sometimes the answer doesn’t come as quickly as you hoped.
The Giant of Debt
Debt has a way of making mistakes feel permanent.
Credit cards are often the easiest way into debt because the money feels so accessible in the moment. But once the balance grows and the minimum payments begin, it can take years — and thousands of extra dollars — to climb back out.
Student loans can become another giant.
I started college in the fall of 2009 and didn’t earn my bachelor’s degree until the fall of 2024. I changed majors several times along the way — pharmacist, nurse, teacher, accountant — before eventually finishing a degree in business administration.
By the time I finished, I had accumulated more than $60,000 in student loan debt.
At times, it has felt like a mountain I’m not sure how to climb.
Medical bills have added another layer of pressure for our family over the past couple of years. Our insurance requires a large amount out of pocket before coverage begins, and when you don’t have that amount available, the bills don’t simply disappear.
They keep coming.
Debt can feel overwhelming. It can feel permanent.
But one truth I keep coming back to is this:
Debt can be big.
But God is bigger.
The Giant of “Not Enough”
Debt often walks hand-in-hand with another giant — the feeling that there simply isn’t enough.
Enough money.
Enough margin.
Enough breathing room.
Living paycheck to paycheck can make even ordinary expenses feel stressful.
Groceries.
Gas.
Car repairs.
Sometimes it’s something expected — like knowing your tires need replaced — but circumstances force you to handle it sooner than planned.
Sometimes it’s something completely unexpected — like an appliance suddenly breaking down.
And suddenly, the budget that already felt tight now feels impossible.
Yet even in those moments, I’ve seen something remarkable.
God has a way of providing just enough.
Just enough gas to make it through the week.
Just enough groceries to stretch until payday.
In Scripture, God often works through “just enough.”
The manna in the wilderness came one day at a time.
The widow’s oil kept pouring just long enough to meet the need.
Five loaves and two fish fed thousands.
God’s provision doesn’t always look like abundance.
Sometimes it looks like survival for today.
And sometimes that survival is the quiet reminder that He is still present in the middle of the struggle.
The Giant of Regret
Sometimes the biggest giant we face isn’t the debt itself.
It’s the shame attached to it.
The enemy loves to use financial struggles to whisper lies:
You failed your family.
You should have known better.
You’ll never recover from this.
But Scripture speaks directly to that voice.
Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Mistakes may be part of our story.
But condemnation is not part of God’s heart toward us.
Our past decisions may shape our circumstances, but they do not define our identity.
What David Teaches Us About Facing Giants
One detail about the story of David and Goliath is easy to overlook.
The giant stood on that battlefield for forty days before David arrived.
Forty days of fear.
Forty days of hesitation.
Forty days of no one stepping forward.
Then David showed up.
He wasn’t the strongest soldier in Israel’s army.
He wasn’t the most experienced warrior.
But he was willing to trust God enough to take a step forward.
Sometimes faith doesn’t mean having the perfect financial plan.
Sometimes it simply means taking the next faithful step.
Naming the giant instead of ignoring it.
Refusing the lies that shame tries to speak over us.
Making small changes where we can.
Using the resources God has already placed in our hands.
And trusting Him with the outcome — even when the timeline feels longer than we hoped.
When the Giant Is Still Standing
If you’re facing financial giants right now, you’re not alone.
Maybe your giant looks like debt that feels impossible to pay off.
Maybe it’s the constant pressure of living paycheck to paycheck.
Maybe it’s the weight of past decisions you wish you could undo.
Right now, you may feel like you’re standing on the battlefield staring at something that refuses to move.
But giants look impossible until the moment they fall.
And throughout Scripture, giants fall when ordinary people take small steps of faith with a very big God.
Your story isn’t over.
And neither is the battle.
Reflection Questions
Take a quiet moment to reflect on the financial giants you may be facing right now.
- What financial giant feels the biggest in your life right now?
- What thoughts tend to surface when you think about your finances?
- Where have you seen God provide “just enough” in your life before?
- What would it look like to invite God into this financial struggle instead of carrying it alone?
You don’t have to defeat the giant today.
Sometimes faith simply begins with acknowledging the battle and trusting God to walk with you through it.
Closing Prayer
Lord, You see every burden we carry, even the ones we rarely speak out loud. You see the bills, the debt, the stress, and the quiet worries that keep us awake at night. You know the regret we sometimes feel about past decisions and the pressure we carry as mothers wanting to provide for our families. Lord, when financial struggles feel like giants standing in front of us, remind us that You are bigger than anything we face.
Help us to release the shame that tells us we have failed. Replace it with Your truth and Your grace. Give us wisdom for the decisions we need to make. Give us the courage to take the next faithful step, even when the path forward feels uncertain. Teach us to trust You with what we have, even when it feels like “not enough.” And remind us that Your provision often shows up one day at a time. Most of all, help us remember that we are not fighting these battles alone. You walk beside us in every struggle, and Your faithfulness never runs out. We place our financial worries in Your hands today and trust You to guide us forward. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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