February 2008
By Cletus David

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

God has a plan for all humanity to prosper and to give hope for the future of all who put their trust in Him. One of the devastating things that distorts our society, is the social class differences that exist amongst people of all nations. Some are very rich; some are just able to meet life’s needs. And, others are, by all standards, very poor. And, as a result of their poverty, they are despised by their community.

Poverty was my plight and it almost crippled me during my high school days. I remember several times when I would go up a small hill after classes to pray and would end up weeping because of the agony of feeling despised by my peers. Particularly when I would look at the lower class label placed on my family by society based on the economic and political power of my family, I would be very humiliated. My peers classified me this way because of the lack of education in my family and my parent’s inability to do what others could do which is to provide for basic human needs.

Thank God for careful teachers! I had just gone through one of my crying moments and was returning to the school compound, when a teacher observed my mode and told me that I looked troubled. He went on to say, “Your facial appearance look depressed.” At first, I just wanted to avoid the situation. Later, though, I decided it was time to share my pains, so I told him about my family background and all the set backs. He said to me, “Remember now, you are a child of God. And, God has a plan for you!” (Jeremiah 29:11). This teacher told me to serve God with my life and I would be surprised at what God’s plans are. My teacher added a scripture, “Trust God with all your life and lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him as LORD (Proverbs 3:5-6).”

Praise God, now I see it is true! I am now an undergraduate and will graduate in June 2009 by God’s grace. Many who thought that none of my family members could make it to University are amazed at how my life is unfolding. People are especially amazed that I am studying in another country (Africa University in Zimbabwe).

I therefore urge you not to be intimidated by your poor and low background! Trust God, and know that you are His Hero, so cheer up!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach us to depend on you as the master planner of our lives despite our background.

Thought for the week: God is always in the business of making heroes out of the despised in society, just stay connected.

Prayer focus for the week: Those who struggle because of poor social and economic background.