“As soon as you resign yourself to your fate, your resignation is promptly accepted. You don’t have a fate you have a destiny,” says John Mason in his book titled, You Can be Your Best – Starting Today.
In January 1991 I could have as well resigned to my fate and concluded that I will never amount to anything in life when my father, a farmworker and the only breadwinner in my family, could not afford to send me to Tshiya College of Education in Qwaqwa to study teaching, which was my first love.
This was after I attained an exemption in the 1990 matric final year examinations at Evungwini Secondary School in Thembalihle, Vrede, in the furthest Eastern part of Free State Province.
Although I qualified for an automatic admission to the university, I opted for the teacher’s training college as it could been cheaper for a farm boy like myself.
Tshiya College of Education never wasted time in approving my application and sending me a letter of acceptance. I was gladly admitted but I could not attempt to stand at the gate of this college. With an acceptance letter in my hand, I could not go anywhere. Circumstances beyond my control never allowed me. Lack and indigence never allowed me. Circumstances beyond the control of my family never allowed me.
Circumstances beyond my control? Yes, circumstances beyond my control………..
Thirty-two years (32) down the line, I am an independent Communications Coach and my profle includes years of experience in public sector as Communications & Media Strategist, Manager, Branding Specialist and Speechwriter, Journalist in the national media and local media, Senior Pastor, Conference Speaker, Pastoral Counsellor, Marriage Officer and in different leadership roles.
All these because I never resigned to my fate and refused to accept whatever comes my way. I never succumbed to circumstances beyond my control. Armed with faith and determination, I sprang into action and pushed forward. Up to today, I am still pushing forward. I strongly believed there was a way out of my situation. How? It was up to me to explore. I also strongly believed the Lord that I was serving from my youth would make a way for me. And surely, He did.
After living with a condition beyond her control for 12 years, an unnamed woman in the Bible refused to resign to her fate. Having spent monies on doctors to be cured from the issue of the Bible as we read in Matthew 9: 20 – 22, Mark 5: 25 – 34 and Luke 8: 43 – 48, this woman who is not named but only identified by her health condition refused to succumb to a condition beyond her control.
“She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse,” – Mark 5: 26. Be as it may, she never resigned to her fate.
Although she was getting worse by day, she never lost hope and faith. She believed her life could be better.
And indeed, after many failures in a period of spanning 12 years, she was made whole. She was HEALED.
Your situation may be worse more than we may ever think. As a matter of fact, your situation is worse and getting worse by day.
The pain is unbearable, you are numb and weak from crying. All hope is gone. You may have done all you could. You may have tried all you could. But, whatever you may be going through, never resign to your fate. Never succumb to a situation beyond your control.
Armed with a hope, faith and determination, this woman sprang to action when she heard Jesus was ministering in her area. Acting makes a different. She took an action and forced her way through to Jesus.
What could have been a turning point in a life of this woman?
• Action.
– She left her home to go where Jesus was.
– She forced her way through.
– She touched the hem of Jesus’s garment.
• Willpower
– She had a drive to see herself healed
– She gathered her strength to invade the crowd.
• Intention
– She was intentional in her action. She thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”
– She had idea and put it into action. It worked for her.
– The idea was to touch Jesus’s clothes, and this worked for
• Faith
– Jesus praised her for her faith.
– She was the cause and the reason for her healing.
You may be not the cause and the reason of your condition, but you can be the cause and the reason for your freedom, success and prosperity.
NEVER RESIGN TO YOUR FATE.
*Pastor Matefu Mokoena is the Presiding Pastor of Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa, Batho Assembly, in Bloemfontein
