“…But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties… give me a discerning heart to govern… and distinguish between right and wrong.”
1 Kings 3: 7-9
Have you ever felt like Solomon, having too many responsibilities & not sure how to bring them forth? Although you enjoy and love what you do, you still want to be able to effectively execute them?
I worry… I have to admit that I worry a little too much sometimes. I am just afraid that I won’t carry out my role appropriately? I am afraid to act out of my emotions and lack of experience and not trust God to move in my life as He would like to. Have you ever felt that way before?
I love how Solomon describes himself as “a little child”. While others might think that he was exaggerating, I simply think that’s just how he felt deep inside.
In this story, Solomon’s attitude stood out to me. When Solomon was given the role of a king, he wasn’t prideful, arrogant, or thought he was superior to everyone but he was humble and honest to himself. I love how Solomon understood the great responsibility he had as a king; he knew he couldn’t be effective in his role alone and needed God’s wisdom. Now that’s the attitude to have!
I know I’ve been in certain roles that have been challenging and require more of me than the usual. Although I perhaps have some experience, I would find myself sitting down wondering how am I going to do it. I mean, I know I can accomplish it but the, “how” is what I wonder many times. I dare you to ask God the question, “how” when you are getting ready to take care of a new role, responsibility, or even a situation. The simple, “how” opens up a spectrum of various options to execute a task, role, or responsibility. The point for that question is to ultimately help you analyze and figure out the most effective way to handle it. Is there an efficient way to handle this and save time? Energy? Can I avoid any future problems? Can I avoid any miscommunication in the process? Can I avoid any misunderstanding? Can I avoid any arguments? Can i avoid any delays? etc.
The most satisfying moment of working efficiently is when you reap. The definition for reap is, “to receive a reward as a consequence of one’s or people’s action”. The reward is not only the exchange of material things. You can simply be rewarded with satisfaction, experience, promotion, words of encouragement from others, etc.
You might be that Parent who doesn't know how to raise your 2 or 5 children, the Professional who doesn’t know how to make their next career move, that Supervisor who isn’t sure how to handle their employees, or the full-time student who has a full week of school work. No matter the season or role you are in, God is willing to give you the wisdom that you need so that you can execute your role effectively.
Next time you find yourself with so much responsibility in your hands, do as Solomon did. ACCEPT that you can’t handle it all on your own, ASK for wisdom, and EXECUTE your plans WISELY & EFFECTIVELY.