Living Beyond Excuses – Nurturing That Phenomenal Family

The one extraordinary thing that God created us all with is the ability to choose, the power to decide our own fate and the capacity to actively pursue it. Despite our otherwise inclined thoughts, this gift is given to all of us in equal measure. When it comes to deciding destiny, God is not a respecter of persons. He does not care if you were born in Germany or in Burkina Faso; if you are the grandson of John D. Rockefeller or the daughter of a railway worker from Soweto. It is the least of His concerns whether you graduated from Harvard University or if you are a primary school drop-out from the slums of Mathare in Nairobi. These are excuses we love to give ourselves, that do not hold water, for in God’s dictionary the word ‘excuse’ does not exist.

Let’s look at this very same concept with regards to families. Do we have the ability to raise a formidable family? Yes…. Does it matter if this family is living in a glass house or living in a cardboard box? No…. Does God care if the parent in this family went to Ivy League schools or didn’t complete their education? No…. Do the excuses we make with regards to doing what it takes to lead and nurture great families hold water? No…. I repeat – in God’s dictionary the word ‘excuse’ does not exist.

The Chinese say that excuses are the nails that build a house called failure! Always remember that life has no guaranties or warranties, it simply offers us opportunities and possibilities. What are the opportunities and possibilities you are creating today to lead your family to greatness? A certain wise man once told me that life is best for those who want to live it, difficult for those who want to analyse it, worse for those who want to criticize it. We need to step back and shy away from the temptation to blame the world for what we don’t have and cannot ‘give’ and celebrate instead every single opportunity even if it may seem like small stuff.

In the kingdom of destiny there is only one legal currency, and that is called decision. Everything bows to it. With that one currency you can purchase anything, reach any height and become whatever your mind has the ability to conceive. What dreams do you have for your clan, your crew, your family or as is popularly referred to in jest nowadays ‘your county’? What legal currency are you trading in to steer and direct, lead and guide? For the lives entrusted in your care, are you a shrewd trader?

Life is a gift – no one pays for it, but destiny is not a gift, there is a price to pay for not getting up and running in the direction of your destiny and holding the hands of your family as you lead them to theirs. I would like to challenge, provoke and inspire you – yes you… to have a paradigm shift and understand that destiny is shaped in your moment of decision.

“Control your own destiny or someone else will”. These are the words of Jack Welch, one of America’s most celebrated corporate leaders. He goes on to say “Stop procrastinating and get out of the valley of indecision, because nothing curses opportunities like procrastination and indecision. Just know that in life, opportunities wait for no one”. This goes in line with what someone else once said – ‘I would rather be ready and not have an opportunity than have one and not be ready.’ Let’s stop here for a moment and reflect upon the great dreams we have for our families and what’s standing in the way of achieving them? Do you dream of a happy, content, self-assured, close knit, loving and caring family? What’s stopping you from making this happen, making this dream come true?
It is unfortunate that many people today have left the fate of their destinies and subsequently those of their families in the hands of other people. They allow others to decide how much happiness they deserve in this world, and have given permission to outsiders to shape the way their lives work. What a tragedy of destiny! Your family’s destiny is too important to be decided by a piece of paper or lack of it – yes those elusive certificates; your family’s destiny is too important to be left at the mercy of some selfish and petty individuals or employers; your family’s destiny is too precious to allow the country’s economy to determine how much you achieve for them; and indeed the destiny of the people in your life that you have been granted the gift of leading is too important for you to allow circumstances to cripple it.

Here is my challenge to you: Take charge of your family and lead them to greatness; take action for your people before they are acted upon; control your family’s destiny or someone else will; and if you hesitate to shape things up, the world will ship things out far away from your promised land. I urge you to start right now. Stop sitting back, get up NOW and get rid of all those excuses and run towards the destiny waiting for you and your soon to be phenomenal family.