I run the youth group at my church and recently I signed up our group for a project called The Life Book. The Life Book is a small book which contains an overview of the Old Testament, the Gospel of John, and FAQ about religion for teens. The idea is to hand these books out, free, to peers and classmates, to share the Gospel. I typed in the number students we had in our group (about 30 at a normal event), figuring they'd send us 50 or 60 books so each kid could hand out 2. That's reasonable, right? When I got the notification in my email that the books had shipped, it said that 900 had been sent out! How are we supposed to get 900 people to take these? That seemed like an unreasonable, unmanageable task. When 9 heavy packages arrived at my church, each filled with 100 books, it reminded from that scene in The Santa Clause where Tim Allen's character receives hundred of packages containing Santa's list. It's all overwhelming. How am I supposed to accomplish this? I would be overwhelmed too if I got kidnapped in the middle of the night and force-fed hot cocoa, all after murdering the childhood icon of Christmas...but that's none of my business. It reminds me of Gideon in the Old Testament. God chose Him to do work and Gideon's main question was, "Wait...how?" In fact he made excuses, such as being from the smallest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. He also asked God for miracles to surely know the Lord was with him. Then, before taking on the Midianites, God cuts down the number of men Gideon can take with him. Why? God tells Gideon that if he were to win the battle with a large army, then the Israelites would not give credit to the Lord. They wouldn't have to rely on Him. They would think it was their own doing. And there in lies the answer to so many of the situations we find ourself in that seem impossible. Like Gideon and the Israelites who seemed so overwhelmed, God often uses these troublesome circumstances to draw us closer to Him. Go back to The Santa Clause. At the end of that movie, the overwhelming situation helps the main character, Scott Calvin, find his higher calling in life, develops a close bond with his son, and regains a relationship (non-romantically) with his ex-wife. And although this might seem like a fallacy within Hollywood, a lot of times God can use these situations to draw us close. When all else in this world fails, we are left to rely only on Him. So as I reflect on my current situation, with 900 mini Bibles and a group of shy teenagers, it all seems so impossible. I say to myself, "We are never going to get all of this done." And the answer we absolutely cannot. It's isn't possible. Matthew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” When you reach a hard time in life, when you reach the end of your rope, turn to God. He can do all things and relying on Him isn't a burden. It's a gift. He makes the weak strong, he exalts the humble, and through Him, we are saved. I can't do it on my own. But with Him, I have the God who created the universe on my side. Even if I do fail, that is an amazing thing in and of itself.
