IT is human nature to always discourage yourself thinking that you will never do better than your father.
Many of us fall victim to this trap and live our lives in the shadows of our parents. In Mark 6:1-6, Jesus had just taught at a synagogue and many people who heard Him speak were amazed. “Where did this man get such knowledge from? And what wisdom he has . . .”
It is good to admire people when they do well. I like it too, but listen to what the same people say as they continue talking about Jesus.
“Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?”
Jesus spoke and taught in a way that no man had seen before. He displayed wisdom that was never heard of.
However, according to these people He was just a carpenter, the son of Mary and Joseph who did not possess such wisdom. According to them, he was an ordinary boy expected to follow in his father, Joseph’s footprints and be a carpenter.
They then later took offence to what he was teaching, which he did pretty well.
This is typical human nature that never allows you to outgrow your background. Human nature does not allow you or encourage you to do better than your fathers. They must label you by what your father did, or was and never by who you are. As a result many of us crumble at this.
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You can always do better than your parents. Never allow anything to limit you to what your father did or was. You are not your mother or father, but you are you and have a destiny to fulfil.
My father could have been a carpenter, yes, but that is not me. My mother could have been a maid, yes, but that is not me.
I am different and have a destiny different from theirs. The challenge we face is that we allow such people to limit and destroy our passions. I have always desired to be better than where I came from. It is not my ultimate standard of measure.
Your progress in life will offend others, but go on and be progressive anyway. It’s very hard to progress from within the same village of birth.
Many people who make it in life and who reach out to destiny, at some point leave their villages and are exposed to different things. It might not be easy for many of us, but there is a great need to move to the next “village” in order to grow.
If you do not, they will still label you by your father’s successes or failures. They do not see you go beyond what your father did.
This is the unfortunate trap many of us are caught by.
Do not be afraid to step out and become yourself even if it means offending many. Criticism must not always draw you back, instead it should motivate you to become better and prove them wrong.
Have an attitude that says: “You can call me what you want or get as angry as you please, but I will not stop doing what I was born to do.” This is an attitude of winners. There is always criticism and unbelief on your way to destiny.
The difference is in how you take criticism. If you expect cheers and ululations you might not go anywhere or you can go the wrong path of appeasement.
In other words, do not be afraid of “teaching well’’ just because they have criticised you. Keep on going.
Love success and appreciate those making it around you. In our context in Africa, we vilify those who dare to succeed.
In fact, this is village politics that we fail to graduate from.
Success is a good thing. We must love it in order to get it. It is hard to work for what you do not love and it is even harder to get what you do not love.
Success will not fall on you like manna. It will not come by laying on of hands by your prophets. Dream and work for you to succeed.
Many of us hate people who succeed. We criticise them and criminalise them without evidence. It seems as if its a cultural thing to hate success.
Get inspired by successful people around you. Not everyone has succeeded by corruption. This means we have inspirational people succeeding around us who can inspire us.
The first step towards your own success is to appreciate others who have made it and are making it.
Listen, they might be despising you and seeing no potential in you, that is nothing, as long as you have a dream. Whether they believed in Jesus or not, they could not stop Him from becoming who He was, the Lord and Saviour of Humanity.
Who are you?
Kilton Moyo is a pastor, Guidance Counseling Consultant and Author of Celebrating my Africanness. You can call or whatsapp on +263 775 337 207 or 712 384 841.
