One of my favorite quotes is by Dr Myles Munroe. He says, “The wealthiest place in the world are not the gold mines of South America or the oil fields of Iraq or Iran. They are not the diamond mines of South Africa or the banks of the world. The wealthiest place on the planet is just down the road. It is the cemetery. There lie buried companies that were never started, inventions that were never made, bestselling books that were never written, and masterpieces that were never painted. In the cemetery is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential.”
I would like to use this forum to appreciate Grace for tapping into her potential in writing the book, “Crossing Intersections.”
The personal testimony, Grace shared in her book about her personal major life intersection; spoke to me amongst other practical insights. It brought to light the place of courage in moving on with life. Courage is never the absence of fear, discouragement, disappointment, personal crisis or even victories and successes in life. Courage is the ability to navigate through life’s challenges and remain committed and focused in pursuing your dreams.
Merriam Webster dictionary defines courage as, “The ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous.” This definition was true when I was at a personal life intersection years ago. It was a point in my life, I wanted badly to know why I was created; my purpose in life. I had graduated with a master’s degree in Architecture and was self employed. I knew I could serve God and make a difference through my career, but there was a deep yearning in my heart to discover my true calling in life.
Having spent ten years to obtain my bachelor and master’s degree, I did not foresee the difficulty I was going to face; obeying the Lord to be involved in missions. Family and friends had valid opinions about me applying for a job to practice my profession as an Architect, but I knew deep down even as an architect, I needed a vision for my life. I applied to do a Discipleship training school with YWAM (Youth with a mission) in South Africa and was accepted as a student; this was the answer to the yearning of my heart.
Time and space will not permit me to give a complete account of the mountains I had to face, the obstacles I had to overcome to be in my life’s purpose. Briefly though, it was my first time to fly out of my country, to raise a huge sum of money for my flight to South Africa and tuition for my Discipleship Training School and to be in a completely new culture for the first time. Courage however, enabled me and empowered me to attend the school. I had to over fear, navigate through unknown territories, and refuse to comply with the status quo.
I have been involved in missions now for 11 years, and courage has been a driving force I have had to act upon at several life intersections. I do not know what your life intersection is at the moment; it might be making a crucial decision about the future, it might be pursuing a dream, making some needed changes in your company, family or ministry, it might be a health challenge or desperately needed financial breakthrough. No matter what it is, in closing I would like to encourage you with the words the Lord spoke to Joshua.
Joshua 1: 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go (Emphasis added, NIV Bible).”
May the Lord, empower you at your seasons of change to practically and supernaturally navigate through the intersections of your life as you take courageous steps.
