September 2021
Nougat 1
Today’s Holy Nougat
“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but become an example of the faithful—in speech, in conduct, in love, in faithfulness, and in purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12 TLV
I remember clearly buying into the lies for a while, so much so that I forgot what God’s truth about me entailed. One such lie was a temporary self-fulfilling prophecy – that Christians were not successful in studies.
I failed
At almost every subject there was to fail. I didn’t realize it; but I’d internalized the garbage. My confidence was shattered. I put the brave face on, but had nothing under the mask. And the sense of failure dogged my academic performance.
But God
That failing student scraped into university ‘by the skin of her teeth’ (let that one soak in, it’s hard to explain), and slowly, very slowly life turned around. The same failing student who scraped into Uni, who had to transfer to avoid being kicked out, graduated cum luade (with honors). I not only graduated but also helped other ‘failing students’ find their way; one of whom also graduated with honors.
My transformation began with someone literally reversing the curse, declaring that I was NOT a failure. It was strengthened when a lecturer advised that I’d ‘rambled like Rambo’ in a major paper; yet the grades and comments said I had worthwhile material.
It didn’t end there. Several years later, the chaplain invited me to encourage students at my alma mater. And that failing student did; citing the failures as the stepping stones to God’s Grace. There is scope for you to use your story – of success or failure – to encourage another, just like I did.
That’s the power; actually the beauty of God’s Spirit in us. As those called by God, we ARE exemplars to others; in our own different ways. Could it be time to get past the naysaying and offer the difference the world needs?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
