Is it naïve to think that if you believe in yourself great things can happen?
Well, I guess I’m naïve. No matter where you are or what you’re going through, you have the power to change your condition.
When I was drinking like a fish, I never once blamed anyone. Like everyone else, I had factors in my childhood that probably contributed to the impulse to drink until I couldn’t remember anything. I was an unbeliever then, but I knew I wasn’t put on this earth to be a drunk my whole life. I held on to that idea. After I stopped drinking I realized that thought gave me hope and kept me alive. After I became saved, I understood that God planted that idea into my unbelieving mind to give me something to hold onto until he could wash away the guilt and shame of those years.
No matter who you are or where you are or what condition you’re in (even the most degraded condition!), amazing things can happen if you believe that you can improve your life. God has a purpose for everything we go through (good or bad), whether we believe he exists or not. (His plans can’t be thwarted by our stiff-necked rebellion.)
Even Christians may not fully understand why we suffer pain and turmoil, but we’re confident that our lives are guided by a living God whom we trust, One who knows things our puny and finite minds can’t even contemplate.
OK. On to the story. Some people grow up — through no fault of their own — with no father, little money, chaos, households that don’t stress the importance of education and excellence, etc. They start their young lives with overwhelming disadvantages, yet somehow manage to break the cycle of underachievement and poverty to contribute something of value to society.
I read a story about three black scientists. Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi (pictured), an astrophysicist and professor of physics (too cool!), said he grew up with no father and lived in bad neighborhoods. I don’t know if he or the other men are believers, since no one mentions a religious influence in his life, but their stories are inspirational nonetheless:
As a child living with his single mom, “I moved every year growing up,” Oluseyi says. “We didn’t live in the best neighborhoods, so I’d stay inside, reading a lot.” He also watched science shows on PBS. “I always thought scientists were really cool,” he says. “Albert Einstein was my original inspiration. I read about Einstein and relativity, and the weirdness of it all captured my attention from [ages] 10 to 16.” In high school, Oluseyi won a prize at the state science fair for his computer program that did relativity calculations.
He attended Tougaloo College, a black college in Mississippi, where he was one of only two students to major in physics. “It never occurred to me that I’d never seen a black physicist,” Oluseyi says. He just always believed he could do it. He earned a PhD from Stanford University in California in 1999.
Oluseyi’s advice to young people is: “Pursue your dreams without hesitation and always believe in yourself.” He has been able to live his dream and now holds eight patents in the technology field.
Oluseyi’s advice is simple, no smoke or mirrors: pursue your dreams and always believe in yourself. To become an astrophysicist takes more than that, of course. Dare I say you have to be smart and motivated and talented? The point is that your determination to achieve is a powerful factor. The idea that we’re here for a purpose is also very powerful. It was enough for me, and although many will disagree, it’s enough for every single person on the planet.
Being ambitious is good, but being a Christ follower should be the ultimate goal. God draws us in different ways. Think of it this way: maybe the desire for greater things in life foreshadows the desire for the one great thing that really matters: salvation.
How did/will God draw you?
Addendum: In response to the Work! post, Scott Ott writes:
LaShawn,
Your post on WORK! is terrific. It made me long to see a post from you on how theology affects work ethic.
It reminded me that work is not the penalty for Adam’s sin, the difficulty of work is part of that curse. You also made me long to hear a restatement of the Protestant work ethic, in which work is viewed as a calling (the meaning of the word ‘vocation’), and “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
This is foundational stuff. Laziness is sin (one of my favorites), but how you work reflects glory to God, cutting to the heart of why we exist. As a pastor said last Sunday, we love the Sabbath rest, but we forget the other part of the command — “six days shall you work.” Of course, the fruits of our labors are also in the Lord’s hands, to be used to benefit others and fund the proclamation of God’s glory in Christ.
Anyway, all of this to say that it’s not just liberal politics that breeds an entitlement attitude: it’s bad theology (which, one might argue, goes hand-in-hand with liberal politics.) Without a Christian understanding of the meaning of life, it’s difficult to find compelling meaning in work. And when there’s no meaning in it, the only issue is money. And if the government will pay you to stay home (plowing under the crop, so to speak), then why not?
I’d love to hear from Christian readers on the subject of theology and the work ethic.
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My $0.02…
The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful family, I was born in a wonderful country with many rights and freedoms, and I have been blessed with intelligence and many gifts and talents. I did not earn these things, they were given to me. I am the steward of these things. I am responsible for their use (and inappropriate use and non-use) of them. With this in mind, let me finish up with some Scripture verses:
Luke 12:48b Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required;
Also read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.
So if I am a foolish steward of all the gifts I have been given, whether by their misuse or not using them at all, I will be held accountable. No excuses.
P.S. Time to get back to work!
[quote]As a pastor said last Sunday, we love the Sabbath rest, but we forget the other part of the command — “six days shall you work.â€[/quote]
This is probably the best thing I’ve heard in ages.
Even if I were not a “person of mixed heritage”(is that the proper PC way of referring ot myself?)I wish that all people had that attitude.
Thanks for providing that quote.
God Bless.
Believe!
What happens to Jihad terrorists after they die – do they travel to Paradise to enjoy 72 virgins, or endure the fires of Hell?
Jihadists BELIEVE that virgins are the carrot in front of the cart; the bait on the hook; “the grabber”, as marketers would say, that clinches the sale of their version of Islam to young, macho Muslims.
Look closely, though, and the trained eye can see that Jihadists are simply killers with fluffy titles who possess a thirst for violence, pain, and blood on Earth. They need virgins in Paradise to inflict pain and draw more blood in the afterlife. If not the case, wouldn’t they choose experienced floozies to fulfill their wildest desires instead?
Jihadists fail to realize that with 72 virgins, they only get to have sex 72 times before their virgins are no longer virgins. Even if they spread out their conquests to once a week, that leaves eternity minus 1.5 years of regular, boring sex. During this time, the women only moan and scream if the Jihadists work it good.
And, since remote controls, televisions, couches, bass fishing, basketball, and bikinis are inventions of the infidels, thus barring them from Paradise, the boredom of the eternity they seek will eventually make them commit suicide twice.
Miss Barber,
What a wonderful post. I pastor a small reformed church in the Pensacola and one our church’s main objectives is to get Christians to think biblically about culture. Obviously, a culture is not impacted, created or reformed outside the “work” of that culture and as such Christians need a biblical understanding of the “praxis” of our faith.
May I just make this short observation and see how it develops on the thread. If Christians have a pessimistic view of culture and the power of the Gospel (i.e. it is foolish to polish the brass on a sinking ship) then it will eventually affect the work ethic of a people. If you believe in the success of the Gospel over time (and independent of American Politics) it is imperative that we work not just to save souls, but to bring the light of the Gospel into literature, entertainment, architecture, sewer work and blogging.
Keep bringing the light to all that you do. The Triune God of scripture requires it.
In Christ
Al sends
Great post. I think Edison was correct in saying that genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration! Sometimes it’s all too easy to sit back and wait for the “magic” opportunity to present itself to us, and then we’ll work hard. While that can happen, I think most of us have to work hard to create that opportunity in the first place.
As Christians we work hard for several reasons:
1) To imitate God (who worked six days then rested)
2) Because we are commanded to (as Scott pointed out, work was affected by the fall, not given as a result of it.)
3) To care for and beautify the world, as well as use its resources (the world was made for man, not man for the world, contra environmentalists–see Genesis 1:26-31)
4) To enjoy the fruits of our labors (“I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.†Ecc. 3:12-13)
Of course, it won’t always happen that excellent work and perseverance will result in success, at least the way the world defines success. But we work hard, trust God for our daily bread, and thank Him for any extra blessings He sends along the way.
La Shawn:
As a medical doctor, I am surrounded by people who are altruistic about “free medical care” – and how “God would want it that way”. They have not read their Bible, or the US Constitution.
Then I “rub it in” – I say that the Bible does not mandate that others work against their will, at gunpoint if needed, to supply this “free medical care. Wow – they just start trying to talk their way out of this.
Ant the “evacuees” from New Orleans who continue to just lay around – NPR has a number of stories about these “evacuees” “discovering religion”- yet they refuse to find free housing, much less work.
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La Shawn:
God spoke to me through your post. I’ve been wondering lately if writing & speaking are really my calling. My blogging seems to be stuck in a rut and I was contemplating on giving it up as well as my dreams. I was just planning to continue to live a mediocre life like most people just working to get by.
Well, your post hit me like a lightening bolt from the sky. It truly blessed me and inspired me to keep trying at this writing thing.
Thank you for allowing God to use you.
The exclusivity of the Gospel is offensive to unbelievers. Don’t attack Christians; attack God, if you dare. Look, I don’t like the direction this discussion is going, so let’s put an end to it. – Admin
The Word says the Lord will bless the work of your hands. However, that clearly implies you have to work to be blessed. He doesn’t bless you sitting around watching television.
It’s kind of ironic that we have a doubter here who calls himself Thomas.
Sir, for your sake I hope you do not have to see and feel the wounds on Christ’s hands, feet, and side before you believe. It may be too late at that point.
3rd time’s a charm.. as a non-believer I just want others (Christian or otherwise) to understand that there are people who find meaning in work, and in life, without accepting a “Christian understanding” of it.
I did not mean to attack all Christians (I would be attacking most of my friends and family if I did), just the guy in the quote who tried to tell others that I can’t find meaning without being a Christian.
Ephesians 4:28- “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good.”
This verse is part of the Bible’s description of a holy person.
Work is a wonderful gift given by God. We are told over and over to avoid finding our identity in our work because that’s such a bad thing, but our God-given work is PART of our identity and when we accept that, we find a great peace in the doing.
When we find our entire identity in the work, utilizing our talents and spiritual gifts from God, we can say “I am a ______” and be perfectly healthy!
Our occupations are a different thing. Apostle Paul didn’t find his identity in being a tent-maker. His job/calling/ministry of life was that as Apostle to the Gentiles, and that he could say was who he was inside and out.
The only lasting and true identity worth having is one wrapped up in the eternal Christ Jesus. Everything else is dust in the wind.
I hadn’t given any thought to Christianity having anything to do with my work ethic before. I had always chalked it up to how my parents raised me. However, I was raised by Christian parents, who were raised by Christian parents, and so on back through the generations. Certainly something for me to ponder further.
Your whole post reminded me of a quote that I love:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.â€
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
DragonLady, you reminded me of something important. (Thank you!) Our work ethic is elucidated in Colossians 3:23…
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”
Whatever being the key word. When I studied this subject as a college course with Moody, God really opened my eyes to a lot that I didn’t understand. One of the things that became clear to me is that a man who is called by God to be a garbage collector and does so faithfully everyday, is being a better servant to God than a preacher who has been called to be a missionary to the West Side of Chicago but takes a job at a downtown church because the pay was much better.
Wherever we are, whatever we do, being in obedience to God in it (and that includes being where we are called) makes it a Holy task.
Here is a search result for the word “work” in Scripture. There’s a great deal of references to work and it gives an idea of how God views work.
God designed us to work. People think that because of sin Adam was and we are cursed with work, but that’s not true. After the Fall, Adam was cursed with problems in his work – which we all have – but prior to the Fall Adam was working. His job was to dress the garden (although he, um, didn’t know how to dress himself. Sorry.) At any rate, there is great joy in working – the satisfaction of applying ourselves and in a job well done. It’s even better if we are doing work we like and for which we are suited. Great posts here – especially enjoyed the thoughts of Al and Angie.
Lashawn,
Check out http://www.marketplaceleaders.org. The founder, Os Hillman, has an incredible testimony and is a leader and in the Faith/Work movement as such. He has a wonderful daily devotional called TGIF, which means Today God Is First. It really helped me through some tough times working the grave yard shift at a job I hated. But I learned there was purpose even in working a job I couldn’t stand (other than the obvious—feeding the babies!). Check it out. It’s great!
For time-binding creatures aware of their own identity, who are moved by their own desires, work — the pursuit of the satisfactions of one’s desires by purposive effort over time — is the most natural thing in the world. Indeed, if nothing else did, the notion that Adam and Eve had no work to do in the Garden of Eden would reveal that part of Genesis to be allegory rather than reportage.
Christianity is certainly not incompatible with work. Indeed, since Man is supposed to respect natural law, and natural law as it flows from human nature impels us toward work, one might easily conclude that God wants us to work. Certainly He doesn’t want us to have it too easy; that’s quite clear from the neutral zone trap, the impossibility of finding decent jeans in 36 / 30, and the (otherwise inexplicable) existence of Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, and Howard Dean.
Hi La Shawn,
If you didn’t already know, Ron McNair, the black crewmember killed in the 1986 Challenger tragedy, was a well-known physicist. His death was a great loss to that community.
Mike
I remember McNair. – Admin
LaShawn,
Thank you so much for posting this, I really needed this wake up call. I have been trying to get my foot in the door to the medical field and I have been getting really discouraged. I did need a reminder that I can do this and all I need to do is fight for it. Thanks again for the kick in the butt.
What an uplifting post. I’ve enjoyed visiting your blog.
On the subject of work, my two favorite passages pertain to the parable of 10 talents and that of the vineyard workers who were paid the same regardless of the actual length of their day’s work.
From those two, we infer that burying our employer’s assets instead of seeking to grow the business or to demand parity/equal pay is sinful — actually it’s wicked, scriptually speaking.
Bottomline, God holds us accountable for the work we perform and the God-given talents we use. Work is our raison d’etre!
Hmmm, La Shawn, we’ve had WORK! & BELIEVE! any chance we’ll soon read REPENT!!!?
Ciao
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