Why You Should Embrace Resistance as a Challenge

I’ve lately fallen in love with the story of Gideon.

At face value, it seems like a miracle of God that a small troop of Israelites defeated an overwhelming enemy. It appears to be a story of God testing Gideon’s trust in Him. But when you look deeper, it shows an incredibly creative God who turns resistance into an opportunity.

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I’m sure you’re familiar with the story. Midianites invaded the territory and oppressed the Israelites. God called Gideon to defeat them, even though there weren’t nearly enough men to combat the enemy army. If that wasn’t enough of an obstacle, God calls Gideon to shrink the size of his army down to only 300 men. 300 against 135,000!

But God had a creative solution to what seemed like an impossible amount of resistance.

God had Gideon surround the enemy’s camp and startle them. They created a blitzkrieg of light and sound in the middle of the night that frightened the enemy so much that they either turned on each other or ran away.

Besides sounding like a Rambo-inspired movie, it was a massively creative solution. This action preserved Israel from losing a single soldier. If they had attacked the enemy head on, they would have sustained massive losses. But there wasn’t a single casualty on their part.

Gideon took this resistance and turned it into an opportunity. Through creativity (you might even call it wisdom) and a lot of bravery, Israel turned a bad situation into a great one.

The coolest thing about this is that wisdom and creativity are available to you just like they were to Gideon. Even when faced with the biggest obstacle, you can turn resistance into an opportunity. Here’s how.

1. Look for the positive aspect of the resistance.

You can spend your time focusing on the negative aspects of your obstacle. But that doesn’t help you. Instead, look for the positive aspects—even if they’re minuscule. You’ll find your opportunity there.

2. Evaluate your unique position and what opportunity it might offer.

Gideon‘s enemy was in a valley. This gave him the high ground. What position do you have that nobody else has? Perhaps that’s a committed group of people. Perhaps it’s a neighbor or a connection. Perhaps it’s a building. Look for the opportunity in your unique position.

3. Risk.

Finally, realize that every creative plan requires risk. The risk might be your reputation. It might be financial. It might even be relational. But this is when it pays to be a child of God. You can pray and ask for wisdom, and He’ll give it to you liberally. Once you get the go-ahead from God, risk. Take a leap. Surround the obstacle, break the pots, and blow the trumpets.

There’s opportunity in resistance. You just have to know how to look for it.

What obstacles are you facing? What resistance seems like an insurmountable situation? I’d love to hear what you’re dealing with. And perhaps we can brainstorm together and see the hidden opportunity.

This was a guest post by Jonathan Malm. Jonathan is a creative entrepreneur and writer. He is the author of Created for More, a 30-day devotional to help you develop a more creative mind. You’ll find him in San Antonio, Texas, roasting his own coffee beans and enjoying life with his Argentine wife, Carolina.