Do you walk around blaming others for a life you feel you should be living right now? Today many descendants find themselves blaming their ancestors for the bad experiences they encounter today; ranging from generational curses to any type of inheritance you can imagine. The odds may have been struck against you at one point or the other, and the things you’ve been destined to fulfill were targeted for destruction, but this should not force you to give up on life or play the blame game. If you feel as though success only comes to a certain class or race of people, you are mistaken.
You are talented and set aside; not just you but your entire family, friends, and loved ones. Think about the impact your life has on others, and ask yourself how influential are you toward them improving their lives. As dreams are pursued, great obstacles will arise, requiring you to sacrifice much and suffer also. This phase refines your character, approves your desire, shows your determination, and in the end, you will be most appreciative of your accomplishments.
In the book of Esther, King Xerxes requested to have Queen Vashti replaced. Esther a Jewish young woman who was raised by her cousin Mordecai was one of the many young women who had been chosen and escorted to the palace for the king. A plan was brewing by Haman a high official in the Persian empire who agreed to pay the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. When it was time for Esther to stand before the King, he found her to be most beautiful of all the other women and decided to make her queen. Esther concealed her nationality because Mordecai had warned her about Haman’s evil plot. Mordecai had overheard two guards conspiring to assassinate the king. He informed Esther, who told the king, giving credit to Mordecai, and as a result, the guards were hung. Mordecai’s life was plotted against him by Haman. When Esther met with the king, she found favor with him. He had asked Esther what her request was so he could grant it. With much ponder in approaching and responding, Esther asked that her life along with the life of her people be spared due to Haman’s plan to have them killed for money. This made the king angry and he had Haman hung on the exact pole that Haman had designed to hang Mordecai. Later, the order to destroy the Jews was revoked.
Esther no doubt was afraid or terrified knowing that she was a Jew and could be sentenced to prison, hung, or removed from the palace if Haman had found out about her nationality. An opportunity was presented to deliver the Jews from a tragic plot, and she was in the right place at the right time. Her unselfish act of bravery to stand before the king in faith and trust in God was exemplary. In the end, it saved a race from being annihilated.
There are many in society who achieve high levels of success; attracting a national audience. The individual’s home country, race, or social class is also represented. It’s a position where the community has a sense of pride and holds them in great esteem.
Barack Obama was the first African American who served as the 44th president of the United States of America. His faith to believe that this accomplishment was at all possible to achieve, could be measured by the number of times obstacles arose, yet, he was determined to continue his pursuit to greatness.
Jonquel Jones a professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Chevano ‘Buddy’ Hield professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA) are both young Bahamians who are making leaps and bounds as they soar in their careers. Raised in the settlement of Eight Mile Rock, as time progressed, Jones and Hield took a leap of faith to transition themselves globally in efforts to fulfill their dreams.
What Esther, Barack, Jonquel, and Chevano have in common is what some people call luck, while others call it faith. Whatever you see it as, they all embraced an opportunity that not only changed the course of history, but also allowed them to maximize their potential.
Have you ever made an ecstatic response like, “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe this is happening right now!” or you told someone, “Please slap me because I must be dreaming!” Some people work so hard and finally, pleasant circumstances occur; knocking them off their feet. On the other end, you may sit and daydream about being the president of your country, marrying a prince or queen, the spouse of a millionaire, dream of traveling to exotic destinations, managing a multi-billion dollar company, or owning an organization that helps the less fortunate. Some people inherited this, while others must work from the bottom up to achieve such accomplishments. You may be the one who works toward the daydreaming, making it a reality. Unfortunately, pursuing the daydream to become a reality often comes with a fight.
Unforeseen circumstances may occur in your life, and your first response is, “Why me?” There are many obstacles that you will face, but they should not be an excuse to deter you from pursuing your goals. Your enemy has built devices to destroy you, to destroy the very purpose of your existence. Despite your disposition, a plan will unfold. Where you once became the victim or slave to your circumstance, an opportunity will present itself to change the course of unpleasantness. What the enemy meant for evil, God will turn it around for your good. You question the never-ending events of bitterness and somehow manage to muster up the strength to fight. Your resilience does not allow you to sit on the sidelines looking out. Instead, you are on the field putting in the work that only champions are made of. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”
You are created with a purpose; a gem so unique that cannot be replicated. Although you may be placed in a position that seems unforeseen, or targeted for destruction, you are coming out. Let your faith rise above your circumstance. Divine purpose unveils your true potential when you surrender in faith to pursue it. You are responsible for being you; a divine soul with a divine purpose, living in harmony with destiny.