YOUR OWN HISTORY

We are in Black History Month, and whilst it’s good to celebrate the achievements of our Black brothers and sisters, it’s also an opportune time to chronicle our own personal history – looking at the things we’ve overcome to get to where we are now, as well as celebrate our successes, learn from our failures, and give God thanks for the good things He has done in our lives.

These days, people want to live a life of ease – a way of living described as “the soft life” in some circles. However, it’s important to recognise that as believers, we shouldn’t be looking for an easy life. Instead, we should be looking to live a life that draws us closer to God and helps us understand the suffering of Christ. Nothing does that more than when we encounter and overcome life challenges.

They can make us spiritually stronger, more reliant on God, more compassionate towards others, as well as wiser, better people. Plus, the experience of going through gives us the wisdom and insight we need to support others going through similar situations.

Churches keen to reach the young must take the necessary steps to nurture, mentor, train, teach, empower and release new and emerging leaders to preach, speak and plant churches.

I’ m sure there are churches that are doing this already, but more need to do so –especially in a society that can be described as post-Christian.

I believe that no matter how much society changes, the Gospel remains a powerful tool for personal and social transformation, and older leaders must do their part and give room to young leaders to do their thing so they can lead their fellow young people to the Lord.

If you have overcome challenges by the grace of God, give yourself a pat on the back; you’ve graduated from the school of hard knocks and come out the other side. And if you’ve achieved a thing or two, and experienced success, revel in it. You’ve experienced the goodness of God.

And that’s what looking at our personal history can do. We give ourselves permission to acknowledge our personal journey, give God thanks for what He has done in our lives, and celebrate that we are heroes and sheroes in our own unique way.