God had used Gideon to defeat Israel's enemies but one of the tribes benefiting from the victory wasn't all that happy:
Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously. But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided (Judges 8:1-3).
Gideon was of the tribe of Manasseh and the Ephraimites were their relatives, since the tribes' namesakes, Manasseh and Ephraim, were Genesis Joseph's sons. Instead of rejoicing and offering congratulations, however, Ephraim took Gideon to task for not including them in the battle. Of course, God was the One who had chosen the warriors He wanted to go with Gideon, so Ephraim's problem really wasn't with their brother; their problem was with God Himself.
When you begin to make progress in your creative purpose, sometimes people closest to you are threatened by your growth and may not be your most ardent supporters. If that happens, remember how Gideon handled their complaint. He did so humbly and diplomatically, but he did not change course or include them in his future plans. In a sense, he shrugged it off and moved on.
Are some people you expected to support, celebrate, or encourage you not responding as you expected? How are you you handling this painful and disappointing scenario? Are you trying harder to win their approval, or are you carrying on with the work God has given you to do?
You shouldn't expect a parade or a bouquet of flowers from anyone when you do God's will, even those closest to you. It's nice if that happens, but whether it does or not, your focus needs to be on one thing and one thing only: being true to who God made you to be and what He gave you to do.
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