The Sunday News
Itai Chapunza
I LOVE reading books and articles that are motivating. For me nothing is more motivating than the Bible. It is almost a bitter-sweet feeling. It motivates you in a way that does not take away the reality of your current situation. For example, God guarantees that he will bless you. It a true fact, God blesses his people, not only some, but all his people.
Proverbs 10 verse 22
The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it.
But in another scripture he says
Deuteronomy 28 verse 12
The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, to bless all the work of thine hand. Thou shalt lend to many nations but thou shalt not borrow.
So if you look at the first scripture in isolation, you may think all you have to do is be alive and the blessing will take effect. On the contrary the Bible is clear, God blesses the work of your hands. So no work means no blessing. This is what I meant when I said the Bible motivates you without taking away the reality of your current situation. You may be in a place that you do not desire and wish to move your self from somewhere. The Bible says you are well able to do all things through Christ who strengthens you. So the motivation aspect is, you can move. But it takes a lot of effort from you. You must move. There must be action for things to happen.
I’m also motivated by leaders of the world. I like black leaders more because for a long time, we have been told as black people that we cannot do much. So a black leader is a good motivation for me. Especially one that is leading people in a predominantly white setting. It could be a business area dominated by white people, it could be in a largely white nation. This takes a strong sense of self assurance and by all means an empowerment from God.
Let’s look at the famous Malcom X. His father died when he was six years old in a staged car accident and his mother was admitted into a mental institution when he was 13. So he was virtually an orphan from that time forward. This is at a time when everything around him is telling him he cannot be more than a 2nd class citizen. America had no black heroes, those that attempted to be were either dead or in jail. The system was designed to segregate and oppress the black man. He told his favourite teacher that he wanted to be a lawyer. The teacher told him that this was not a realistic goal for a black man, regardless of how intelligent he was. Instead he told him to try carpentry. When someone that you hold in high regard tells you to throw away a dream, it is a crushing feeling. It takes away all the hope that one could have had. The world today has young people feeling trapped in a similar manner. The bench mark for what success is has been set so high that it seems to be a dream for many. In the past a diploma would secure one a job, from there a good income, then start a family, then work hard and retire at sixty to enjoy pension from the years of hard work. But today, old men are still at work because pension is no longer enough. The youth work hard seemingly towards nothing because it will be many years until one saves up enough to get a fancy car and a property to call home. It seems hopeless. Yet we should not feel like this. The Bible says:
Ecclesiastes 9 verse 11
I took a walk around the neighbourhood and realized that on the earth as it is, the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor satisfaction to the wise, nor riches to the smart, nor race to the learned, sooner or later, luck hits us all.
Other versions say, time and chance happen to all men. But the trick is, be prepared always. If your chance comes and you are not ready to grab it, it will pass. So be preparing. Always be working on something. There must never be a time where you have no aspirations you are working towards. Always have something you are going after. Do something, don’t just sit, success is when opportunity meets preparedness. Have the same mindset as a young Malcom X. When faced with adversity, always understand that it is only a matter of time. Remember that, no condition is permanent. No matter what you are now, tomorrow you will be different, it is up to you to decide if the difference that is coming will be positive or negative. In hard times remember that everything is a lesson. But it is only a lesson only if you pay attention. Always learn something from things that happen to you. Always remember that God has chosen you for a particular task in the world. You are not a mistake, you are carefully created for a time like this and you have to prepare to change the world for Christ.
Be blessed as you push for greatness in a world that tells you that it is impossible. God loves you and has plans for you.
Facebook — Itai Chapunza
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