Monday, January 25, 2016

It's Time to Put on Your Big Girl Panties

In Judges Chapter 6 we are introduced to a man named Gideon.  He was the son of of Joash and he was threshing wheat in a wine press hiding from the Midianites. The Midianites  and the Amalekites were enemies of Isreal. They would relentlessly follow Isreal and desicrate the land of Isreal leaving nothing left for their profit or gain.

One day as Gideon was threshing the Angel of the Lord met him in his hiding place and called him a Mighty Man of Valour. He told him to go forward, no longer hide and fight the enemy. Gideon responded by saying, "How? My family is the weakest and I  am the least of my family". The Lord then instructed him to go and He would go with him. Gideon was  still terrified, a mere conversation would not release him from a lifetime of fear.

The angel then gave him a specific task, a tough one; knock down the god idol (small g) that his father Joash had erected and build a new one. What? Bad enough to have the Midianites on your back but to set up your own dad to hate you? Forget about the fact that his dad and Isreal were insulting the God they said they were serving by having the idols. Did God want Gideon to be the bad guy amongst his own people? He mustered all of his internal strength and, under the cloak of darkness, did the grizzly deed and faced the music in the morning when the camp woke up to find their false idol smashed to the ground.

I LOVE GIDEON, HE'S SO REAL!  Insecure, afraid, uncertain but there came a point in his life were he had to move beyond himself and do something so out of character and use a trait he was completely unfamiliar with; courage.  Courage is a muscle that has to be built over time and circumstance; its action in the presence of fear. 

Why did God ask him to knock down his father's  Idol in the middle of his own camp? I believe that the fear of others and what they might think is the greatest fear we as humans have and that's why we conform to alot of things from fashion, to where we live, work, say and what we do. God needed Gideon to be courageous and address the issues and fears at home before he could have him conquer  issues outside. He needed to be uncompromising, obedient and fearless.

Sometimes it's easier to confront a stranger than a parent or a friend. Have you been challenged lately to move beyond your comfort zone and act courageously with issues at home, work, and/or with family and friends?  The issues could be about your beliefs, fairness, equity,  not compromising or just voicing your opinion that differs from everybody elses; why is this happening?

You are being pushed  to another level beyond  the limitations you put on yourself; you are finding your voice.

The absence of conflict does not equal peace. Bowing down and smiling doesn't always work; people don't always play fair. Do what is right and stand tall, you're growing. 

Knocking down his father's Idol was a trite task compared to the great exploits that God had planned for Gideon to do. Gideon met the challenges and was referenced to as a mighty man of valour in the Bible and throughout history; his end was far greater than his beginning.

This courageous step that you are about to do is just the beginning....now go put on you're big girl panties and get moving.

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