In God’s Hands
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and hoped no one would answer my knock. As the door opened in front of me, my heart beat faster. “Uh,” I said as I looked up into the eyes of the adult before me. I was in fourth grade.
Every year, my Christian school spent what felt like a month fundraising. Each student was expected to sell, at minimum, two boxes of chocolate bars. If you sold more than that, you could win prizes. One year there was a bike! I can’t remember the other incentives because my parents wrote a check for my two boxes of unsold chocolates every year.
As I stood in front of my neighbor, out tumbled my rehearsed words: “My school . . . fundraiser . . . candy bar . . . only one dollar.” The unexpected finale came as the chocolate bars somersaulted out of their box and all over his front stoop.
I don’t remember if he graciously declined my offer or bought a bar out of pity. But as he closed the door and I picked up the spilled candy bars, my cheeks burned.
Have you ever met someone whose personality shouts salesperson? Their enthusiastic words and posture close the deal every time. As I grew up, I did not become that person. But recently, I found myself facing another marketing situation. It wasn’t chocolate bars I’d be selling this time, but nonetheless, the memory of my fourth-grade self bubbled to the surface. I have never been a natural salesperson.
Even though I knew I did not have the personality, skills, or passion for marketing, there was no one else for the job. So I stepped outside my comfort zone, took a deep breath, and moved into the role of salesperson. What should you do when there is a task in front of you that you know you are not particularly skilled for? This is what I did and what I learned through the process.
Because of my experience selling (or rather, not selling) chocolate bars, I knew I needed advice to launch me forward. I studied online examples and made a rough plan. Then I called my graphic designer and marketing friend. “Could you look at some of my ideas and brainstorm with me?” I asked.
I felt confident with the strategy we developed. I was prepared, maybe even proud. Then, as I implemented the plan, one roadblock after another came. Because of my inexperience, I found myself overly sensitive to the hurdles. Discouragement dropped like an anvil on my foot. I put my head in my hands and thought, “What have I gotten myself into?”
That’s when I thought of Gideon and started to study his story.
Although my challenge was nothing compared to what Gideon faced, I felt encouraged by Gideon’s story. First, he was the least in his family (see Judges 6:15). Not a born leader, he wasn’t expected to lead. His experience included hiding in caves while the enemy was nearby. Yet God, who works outside of human expectations, called Gideon to “strike down the Midianites” (Judg. 6:16).
Gideon’s first task was to tear down his father’s altar to the idol Baal and then build an altar for God. God told him to “go in the strength you have” (Judg. 6:14). Gideon took ten servants with him during this mission. This initial challenge gave him the reputation to call for help when the enemy had settled in the valley and was “as thick as locust” (Judg. 7:12). Judges 6:34 says that the Spirit of God came upon Gideon, and he summoned 32,000 men to fight.
God declared that Gideon would be victorious through the sign of a wool fleece (Judg. 6:36-40). So, when God requested that Gideon send men home, Gideon obeyed. Only 300 of the original 32,000 men remained. Gideon’s army was outnumbered. But in God’s plan, Gideon didn’t need men to overpower the enemy. God was already working in the Midianites through anxious dreams (Judg. 7:13-15). Through the use of jars, trumpets, and torches, the 300 men frightened and chased the enemy from the land.
How did this encourage me? Through Gideon’s story, I was once again reminded that God’s ways are not man’s ways. He often uses illogical things and unqualified people to glorify him.
Proverbs 6:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Whether we feel confident in our practiced skills or are trying something new, all our efforts should be placed in God’s hands. But is this an excuse to sit back and do nothing? Gideon used the resources and people around him—the strength he already had. God, who created us, knows our strengths and weaknesses. I stepped out of my comfort zone to follow the marketing plan recommended to me.
Although hurdles came, ultimately I found rest knowing that my efforts were in the hands of God, the One who created me and knew where I would struggle. God would use whatever I could do in my limited capacity, not to make my plans succeed, but for his higher plans.
It’s too soon to tell how “successful” my efforts will be. And perhaps that’s the point. In the story of Gideon, he didn’t finish off the job. Yes, his 300 men pursued the Midianites, and many enemy soldiers died in the initial attack, but Gideon called on the Israelites from the area to continue the pursuit (Judges 7:22-23). I am a small part of the puzzle. I don’t know what “bigger picture” the marketing I found myself in could mean for God’s kingdom or me. But I have learned a lot! And I have found peace in doing what I am capable of and resting everything else in God’s hands.
is a wife, mother, and self-appointed adventure curator. As a lifelong learner, she enjoys exploring the Midwest where she lives and painting her experience of motherhood with words.
Photograph © Miguel Bruna, used with permission
