I left Becoming 2.0 thinking “Funto Ibuoye Is Amazing!!!” and I know a couple other females thought so – you had to be amazing to pull off that kind of event, the number of persons, and caliber of persons that attended too.
When Funto Ibuoye, the founder of The Beautified Network and convener of The Becoming Conference, was welcoming us to Becoming 2016, she said something powerful: “When I was in CU – Covenant University, I was just an ordinary girl. Nobody knew I was going to become all of these… I just had a heart of worship and knew I wanted to serve God with all my heart.”
I know a few persons who feel they were born with some mark of specialty. I used to think of myself as one of such. I met a friend who thinks same of himself. You know when they say, “The king in me recognizes and honours the king in you.” So, we thought there was a unique grace upon us – like, the kind of people that change their world. In plain English, we were the ones that had a “great” destiny.
This thought pattern affected my perception of self and how I lived my life. One time, I referred to myself as “God’s special one.”
Did you notice I described all that in past tense?
It is because I began questioning that thought pattern – not that I began to doubt that I was special, but I realized that ALL of us are special. ALL of us have the potential to be great.
I no longer think God created any of us more special than the other. He created us all in His own image – all of us were fearfully and wonderfully made by Him. There was no preferential treatment on anyone.
This thinking or feeling of one’s specialty often dates back to early childhood, from ideas sold to children at a very young age by their parents, relatives and tutors. The same way they can sell mediocrity or inferiority complex to a child, who perhaps does not do well in the classroom or is different. Or early serial achievements, that fuels one’s idea of himself and the confidence of others around him in his ability.
The truth in this is that all of us are special. All of us are ordinary — until we do something extra, only then do we become extraordinary.
If you have a “great” destiny and are not intentional with your actions and decisions, you will remain ordinary.
What do you think? I will love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Love,
Annie.
Ps: This took a long time to post as promised here. I hope to chronicle more of my lessons, especially now that I have an online space – a blog.
Annie Ejiofor 