Who said you don’t have what it takes? Who said you will never amount to anything? Who said you are not going to make it? Who said it will always be this way with you? Who said this is just your bad luck?
I could easily fill several pages of this paper with “Who said?” stories that I have in my files. And that’s not counting all the first-hand ones from my own life, which I could use!
Here are just a couple of examples to illustrate, which is all I have space for today.
Wilma Rudolph was considered the fastest woman in the world back in the early 1960s. With three gold medals at the Rome Olympics, no one else even came close.
From a family of 22 children (she was the 20th), Wilma’s childhood was far from “normal” due to her frequent sicknesses. Stricken with double-pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio, she couldn’t even walk without a leg-brace!
Here is a great quote from her: “My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.” This has to be one of my all-time favourite quotes!
From a poor family, at 10 years of age young Enrico was told by a voice teacher: “You haven’t any voice at all.” But his mum thought he did and told him so.
She encouraged him all the way and scarified much to pay for his voice lessons.
Enrico Caruso, the famed Italian Operatic Tenor received many international honours during his illustrious career. Wikipedia notes he was “one of the first examples of a global media celebrity.” Hmmmmm…again, who said?
I’m going to throw in one of my own examples here. It certainly is no match for the two above, it is menial in comparison! Hopefully though, it will make you smile.
Our family dentist told me my teeth had 10 years left in them at most, then I would be looking at needing false teeth. The good dentist was a man much older than I was at the time; he was actually closing in on his retirement years. He did get to enjoy some retirement years, but today is no longer with us on Earth. And my teeth? Decades later, they are still here. I still have most of them and still no false teeth!
Now, let me unpack this ‘who said?’ thing a little for you. First up though, let me clearly state, I am all for getting wise counsel or seeking out advice from those with authentic miles on the clock. That certainly has its place. I’m not advocating being a loner. However, there definitely will be times in your life when you will need to look within and find the resolve and strength to push back against the ‘who saids’.
When you allow others, or the words of others, to create your world they will always create your world too small. They will always “put you in a box”. They can limit you and shut down your dreams. You will settle for good instead of best; for ordinary instead of extraordinary; for grinding out your life with the brakes on. You know deep inside something is not right. Push back!
When it comes to cheerleaders for your life, they surely can be hard to find. In my journey, the Good Shepherd has believed in me and encouraged me like no one else!
Take care and God bless.
• To contact the Farmer’s Chaplain Colin Miller email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
