Blog Detail

Friends, greetings in Jesus Name! Today I will be sharing with you on what I title, “It Is Not Where You Start That Matters”. Let me begin by saying that life is a journey. It is a journey of destiny. In this journey, there are bus stops on the way. Meaning, the journey is in stages. It is designed this way by God. No new born baby starts by running at birth. As they grow and mature – they first sit, then crawl, stand, walk, and then run. It is called the metamorphosis of life. Even God did not finish the entire creation in one day. It took Him six days and rested the seventh day. There were stages and progression of events that took place – leading to the ultimate goal – the creation of man and his dominion mandate over the earth. Just imagine if God had said on the first day of creation – let us make man – in the midst of darkness, earth without form, no vegetation, no animals, and no food for man. Really, that would have been chaos. But God knew better, because He is a God of Order. Therefore, the different stages that we have to undergo in fulfillment of our destiny are very important. The reason being that there are certain things we may not be able to handle on the way until we grow and mature.

No right thinking father will give a title deed of his property to a son to manage who is still a child. Like the bible rightly said, “As long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything” (Gal. 4:1). Now, each individual is running his or her own race. Meaning, no two races are the same. Therefore, in this context, you are not supposed to compete with anybody. What matters in this race is not where you start, but where you finish. Really, your sole responsibility is to stay focused – without being distracted – and then get to your finish line. Apostle Paul said, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

From the above scripture, Paul’s primary goal in life was reaching his finish line. It should therefore be your driving force in life to finish the race that is set before you. A lot of people look down on themselves, especially when they see their mates that have gone past them. Usually, this singular attitude stifles their morale and motivation to unleash their very best in life. Listen, you are not in any race with anybody. You are running to an audience of one person – the Almighty God – who has called you, set the race before you, and endued you with the capacity to finish strong. I still remember when I was in primary school; I repeated my year two, three consecutive times. By the time I moved up to primary three my mates were in primary five.

As a young boy, I started early in primary school but was too playful to the detriment of my academic work. You know what? I got challenged afterwards, picked myself up and began to study. Today it’s a different story. By the special grace of God, I have read and climbed to the peak of my career as an academic doctor. Funny enough, some of those folks who went past me while in primary school, never made it to the university. You see, that is the irony of life. Meaning, “the race is not to the swift” (Eccl. 9:11). Therefore, never look down on yourself. It doesn’t matter where you are right now; just keep your eyes on the goal – the Finish Line! Remember, the Almighty God said, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:25). Have a joyful week. With love, Elvis!