Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
Gideon knew precisely who he was: the least of the least in Manasseh. And yet the Lord in Judges 6 chose him to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites, in a situation where the Israelites were so outnumbered there could be no question that 
the victory belonged to God.
The disciples knew it was impossible for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle. So, if it was even more difficult those who were rich to enter the kingdom, what hope did anyone have? And when Peter in Matthew 19 noted their giving up of “everything,” Jesus challenged the group further—had they given up their lands, their homes, their loved ones? If not, their place in the new age would not be guaranteed.
It’s hard to understand why the Lord who loves us so would strip away the people and things we hold dearest, that give us comfort on the journey. It’s harder still to understand just what the Lord sees in us that makes Him believe we can do that, and other seemingly impossible things He desires of us. Like Peter, we protest we’ve already done so much, or, like Gideon, we protest the request is too much. May we have the faith and strength in both situations to instead believe… and say yes, remember He is always with us.
