Number 300

These days the number 300 may not easily impress us. I found myself wondering tonight if the number 300 has had any significance beyond being a nice round number. I thought I remembered that 300 is a perfect score in bowling so I did a quick Google search to confirm that fact. I then learned that the number 300 comes up repeatedly in the Holy Bible, such as in the story of Gideon. Unfamiliar with this bible story I took time to read of how Gideon began with 32,000 men in his army but how God said this was too many. Gideon with God’s help “cut the team” down to 300 by first determining who was fearful and thus not good to serve as they would influence others to be afraid. The next means of reducing the army was through a stream drinking test. To shorten the tale, the small group of 300 men were successful in defeating the Midianites. Gideon gave God the glory of the win.

Continuing my research I was reminded of the 2007 movie 300 about the Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae (another period of research time would be needed to provide the synopsis of THAT one), and I learned that Chrysler developed several models of cars with the number 300 listed in its title series. In baseball, the benchmark of hitting .300 in a season is revered. And apparently in paintball, 300 feet/s is the maximum legal velocity of a shot paintball (I’m honestly not sure whether that is significant or not but it was a colorful piece of information just the same). Oh, and humans are born with 300 bones, although we as adults interestingly have only 206 bones as some are fused together in the natural growth process. I finally learned of a belief in “Angel numbers” and how the number 300 when noticed by humans is said to bring attention to a matter of Divine purpose that warrants our following.

So it seems that the number 300 is quite significant. And I’m happy about that because I am amazed by how content and impressed I feel tonight as I craft my 300th blog post in 300 days’ time. But I am also thinking of how I did not do this alone. First of all, I have had an incredible support system. My children and my husband have allowed me time to write in the past 300 days. My family and friends have sent me notes of encouragement and have left comments on my blog or on my Facebook page, displaying to me that I do indeed have an audience most days that I post. Former students, colleagues, and others have started their own blogs too. It feels good.

Most importantly, whether I have an angel looking over me or not, I have believed myself to have a real purpose in continuing to write. Writing has not always been easy but it has felt “right”. I do not dare say that my purpose has Divine blessings, for that would be awfully presumptuous, however, I will say that I offer up any and all praise to God. He has strengthened my resolve to meet my 365 posts in 365 days’ goal. He deserves glory for any eventual “win” in my life, whether it is this blog or something more significant in the days, weeks, months, or years to come. Onward and upward!

There is always strength in numbers. The more individuals or organizations that you can rally to your cause, the better. --Mark Shields

There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else. --James Thurber