Guest blog by Tracey Jones of Tremendous Life Books
In the book of Judges in the Old Testament, there is a story about Gideon, a man visited by an angel and called of God to free Israel from captivity to the numerous Mideanites. Gideon assembled an army of over 32,000 warriors. But God, wanting Gideon to trust Him—not the strength of “men”—whittled the army down to just 300 warriors. How in the world were 300 men supposed to annihilate a whole body of people?
They spaced themselves on the outskirts of the Mideanite camp in the middle of the night, each equipped with a lamp, a trumpet and a heavy pitcher. At Gideon's command, they all lit their lamps, started shouting, blowing their trumpets and breaking the heavy pitchers. The Mideonites awoke to these chaotic sounds and thought they were totally surrounded by an army that was attacking them. The Mideanites inadvertently started stabbing and killing each other, thinking they were battling the enemy, and Gideon's army and the children of Israel miraculously prevailed.
There are many lessons we can relate to our businesses within this ancient story. First, confusion is our enemy. When things are noisy, out of control, chaotic, we must find a way to "be still", as the Bible teaches.
"Be still and know that I am God," Jesus said. "Peace, be still."
Being still is the antidote for confusion and occasionally must be used as our biggest and most powerful weapon. Sometimes it takes an hour or so to just slow down, shut down the computer, reflect and ponder our direction.
Second, we have to trust our hearts. God had Gideon do something that, to the natural man, seemed absurd. But it worked. We must trust our instincts and the direction we receive from moments of quiet pondering, even if it goes against what might ordinarily be considered normal.
And third, don’t be afraid to lead. OK, we can be afraid, but we won’t let that stop us. Gideon did it. We can do it. My father, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, taught, “Everyone has an obligation, as well as a privilege, to be a leader in something. Everybody.” We’ll go find something nobody else is doing, and we’ll do it. That will make us leaders—in our industries, our communities, our homes.
And when the situation seems insurmountable, let's pull out our “lamps,” "trumpets,” and “pitchers." For God has surely given them to us.
Tracey Jones is the President of Tremendous Life Books
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