The Right Woman for the Job

A lonely little piece of land languished between my concrete driveway and a gravel road. It received no shade and flourished, you could say, with weeds and shale. This summer, I decided to turn that hopeless lot into a flower bed. When I started researching what to plant, I logged onto my favorite gardening website and scrolled through the stunning flowers.

Rare and beautiful plants in God’s creation produce vivid foliage and eye-catching blooms. None of those would grow in my planting zone, and certainly not in the constant, scorching heat I had for my little slice of perfection.

I was displeased by the meager selection that could withstand the climate conditions. But I was determined to make something of the space. So, I ordered plants selected by nursery experts and guaranteed to be, at the least, mildly more impressive than the weeds.

I set to work preparing the bed by turning the old, hard clay and adding compost. Finally, my plants arrived and were settled into their spots with care and, frankly, not much hope for their future. I thought, if they do survive, I doubt they will be very impressive.

But with religious watering, they showed tenacity and shot up despite my dire predictions and unbelief. As the days rolled by and the sun grew hotter, I despaired, but the shoots proved stronger than the conditions. And they were beautiful in their resolve. The modest yellow flowers on my yarrow impressed me more than the most stunning rose. Because my catmint, yarrow, and tickseed were the right plants for the job. A rose would have been beautiful, a collection of orchids gorgeous, but they never would have lasted.

Perhaps God has called you to a ministry, to witness, to help a person in need, and you question if you are the right woman for the job. Or you’ve worked tirelessly for years, and it seems so much work for so little. If you try to last in those conditions, will you succeed, beat the heat and the pressure, or simply wither away?

Moses had similar thoughts at the fiery bush (Exodus 3:11), Gideon questioned his capabilities (Judges 6:15), and David doubted God’s plan while hiding in a cave (Psalm 57). But in each instance, they triumphed because they were right where God wanted them. They flourished, just as my plants did because they were created for that place, those conditions, and that time.

When you face difficulties or face impossible odds, if you are walking with the Lord, you too are sure to triumph, just as Deborah and Esther did. Remember that “blessed is the (wo)man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For (s)he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8, KJV ).

Remember, you are strong, bold, capable, and skilled enough not only to survive but to thrive.

Remember, you are the right woman for the job because God picked you for it.