History Maker {John 1:1- 2:12}
3:25 AM
John 1:45-47 New International Version (NIV)
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth,the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
In this passage we see Nathanael having a negative opinion of Nazareth because of the sentiment of his day, that there was nothing good that could ever happen there. He doubted Jesus was the true Messiah simply because of where He came from.
So often we are like Nathanael. We decide that a person cannot be any good because of where he lives or where he comes from. We can be so biased and opinionated, even without realising it.
We often fall into the trap of believing or "buying" what other people say or conclude.
That's why we need to examine our hearts to see if they are truly open or just full of prejudice.
Can I share with you a story?
This passage really reminds me of what my husband went through when growing up.
You see, my husband, David, was born and raised in a very poor traditional African family.
The father would be away most of the time working for mines in South Africa, while the mom would try to raise 8 children on her own. The mom would also try to work small "piece jobs" like picking veggies from nearby farms and doing cleaning and cooking for farm owners.
They lived in the poorest neighborhood of town; in the "ghetto"
Resources were always very limited. They would have to eat some staple food every single day... no meat (perhaps they could have some chicken once a month). He only had one pair of shoes (the ones and old ones to wear to school, so most of the times he would be barefoot. He has so many scars on his feet). He didn't have a winter uniform or clothes.
They lived at some point in a mud house and then a little later the family managed to build two rooms (two small rooms for the big family, sometimes even hosting extended family members). No electricity, No running water. The only water they could get was in buckets to cook and bathe, and they would use a pit latrine.
Nevertheless, David the little boy, was always excelling at school. Always first place in his class and in his school. Always stuck in his books (as one of his neighbors told me), studying by the light of candles (if they could afford them).
At a young age he was determined to be someone different. He was determined to take his family out of the same cycle of poverty.
He came to Christ, when he was 15 years-old. Before that, he would just follow the family traditional religion or customs.
After finishing high school, with flying colors, he was offered a scholarship...actually several by the government in his country. One of them, the one he went for, was in England. He continued to excel in his studies, and not only that...but with the money of the scholarship he was receiving he would only keep a little amount to survive and send the rest back home to start building a proper house for his parents.
He built a 3 bed-room house, with bathroom and kitchen (before that, they would cook outside with fire), he connected electricity and water utilities. He did all this while studying for his degree.
After finishing his degree (with honors) , he was also received an offer to study a masters degree, which he did... and not only that, he also won a competition representing his British University in Russia, which awarded him with a P.h.D scholarship which unfortunately he couldn't take because of the language it was offered in (Russian).
Soon after he came back to his home country to work in a very good position for the most important mining company in the nation. We got married, had children, etc etc.
Even at this point, to this day, God has blessed our finances enough to continue providing for his parents and to help his youngest siblings through school.
It's funny, because David's story relates to today's passage as many of his peers and neighbors would often tell him that nothing good could come out of that neighborhood; out of the ghetto. They would try to discourage him, they would ask him to stop "dreaming" as he would be just up for disappointment.
Why am I sharing all this with you? I'm so proud of my husband. I'm so grateful to God for what He has done in his life and through him. I'm grateful for the grace and favor He has always given him.
I'm thankful I get to make a life with such an inspiring man as David.
But I'm also sharing this story to encourage you to have an open heart toward everyone you meet.
Think of it. If Nathaniel had been unwilling to open his heart to Jesus, he would have missed the greatest blessing of his life- a great relationship with the Lord.
God has blessings in store for you, through relationships too... keep your heart open. Do not give up on people, do not give up on yourself.
Have a great weekend,
love from Botswana
Angie
0 comments