But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. – 1 Corinthians 1:27, KJV

Gladys Aylward knew God had called her to be a missionary to China. The problem was that no one else agreed with her. Everyone she knew told her that she wasn’t smart enough to learn the difficult Chinese language, and no one thought she could complete the schooling necessary for the mission field. Stubbornly following God’s calling, Gladys enrolled in school – and subsequently flunked out. Not deterred, Gladys faithfully waited until God provided her with an opportunity to go.

Not long after she failed school, a retired missionary couple, for whom Gladys worked as a cleaning lady, introduced Gladys (by letter) to veteran Chinese evangelist Jeanne Lawson. Mrs. Lawson invited Gladys to join her in China, and Gladys eagerly accepted. She rushed down to the local train station to find out how much it would cost her to buy a one-way ticket to China. Flabbergasted, the ticket salesman tried to dissuade Gladys, informing her that there was a war going on between Russia and China and that she’d never make it. Not to be deterred, Gladys pressed for a price, and the price came back at a whopping $750! (For perspective, the 2014 equivalent is $10,162.02.) She handed her first installment of $7.50 to the salesman, and each week she made an installment until the full price was paid. In October 1930, she left for China, only to be taken prisoner by the Russian army. Through swift intervention by God, Gladys escaped to Japan via ship. From Japan she sailed to China, eventually making her way to the town of Yang Cheng, where Mrs. Lawson lived. In Yang Cheng, Gladys slowly learned the Chinese language while helping Mrs. Lawson run an inn (hotel) for weary travelers through the mountains. For years Gladys, alongside Mrs. Lawson, told Bible stories to their guests, seeing souls saved and seeing the Gospel spread throughout the region by the guests they had brought to the faith.

Maybe no one thinks you are special. Maybe no one thinks you are talented. Maybe no one thinks you are pretty or handsome. The opinions of others don’t matter when compared to the opinion of God, and God made you special, He made you talented, and He made you beautiful for the work He wants you to do. Don’t let the opinions of others stop you from doing what God has clearly directed you to do. Quietly persist. Be respectfully stubborn. Keep pushing towards the prize that God has set before you, and be sure to remember Gladys the next time you are discouraged. If you could hear her now, I’m sure she would say these simple words:

If I can do it, so can you!