Her life was a long journey of hardship..and that was a function of who she was and wat she did for a livin ..years back, she leaves home early morning everyday to ensure the floors were mopped, the shelves dusted, and more than dozen offices were cleaned in the classrooms….and that was the job she was doin at the Larrymore Elememtary School… .being a school cleaner was not exactly what Bessie Pender wanted for her life….but with no education and with a poor family for a support, life held no much options for her…..and at the age of thirty eight, it seemed that was how her life was goin to end…… …..one day Bessie came to cleaned up the classroom and was shocked by what she met….the whole chairs in the classroom were turned upside down, the desks upended, books, papers, pencils thrown all around the place……and glue spilled all over the place….it seemed the children had a fun day at school and didn’t care what became of their classroom…..because they knew, as always, that they will come in the next morning and meet the place all clean and spotless…..Bessie had been dedicated at her job all these years… .But Bessie could not take it any more….she realized this was not the life the Lord had designed for her….but it was the life that she had created for herself… .she believed God created her be greater than what she was and there was a greatness lying in her, if only she could look deep and bring it out ..and it was all but a lie of the devil that she was where she was in life…. “oh Lord!” she shouted “I can’t take this no more!”..and then she heard a voice talkin in her spirit “Do you want to be cleaning these classess all ur life or do you want to also be one of the teachers in this school?” And from that minute Bessie was determined, whatever the odds, to change her life forever! Bessie went home and applied to the Old Dominion University that is located in her hometowm…..she was applying for a degree in education….but there was a snag….unlike other students, Bessie was told that, she was too old and too broke to start a new life….. …but whatever anyone said she was too old or too broke for, Bessie knew her determine will overcome! And once she was admitted in the university she started a killer schedule - that took her seven years of her life - to keep up with the programme and her job at the school, … .she goes for morning classess and then in the afternoon change to her green custodian uniform, grab a mop, bucket, rag and start a eight hour long shift at the school…and was back in the evenin, exhausted, but she would still returned at the end of the day to the red brick single room apartment that was her home to take care of her husband and daughter.. ..each night she slept with her books as pillows, as she read hard into the night, and sometimes she went without food just to keep to her schedule… it was just too tough on her and at times she thought of quitting, especially after an instructor told her that she shouldn’t bother, afterall she would make horrible teacher…despite all her efforts! ..but sometin kept Bessie going….she kept hearing that voice in her speaking to her spirit “Do you want to be cleaning these classess all ur life or do you want to also be one of the teachers in this school?” …..but despit her strong efforts, she was not even making headway in school, and it seemed she just couldn’t make it..after she made a D grade in Geography and one of her professors said to her “old woman you cant make it here!”..it seemed all was over for her ….but the love and encouragement of her family kept her going…… …her mother and father were very supportive of her dream…..her father drove her to and fro school everyday of her study, until his health started to decline…but Bessie kept her determination to succeed and surprisingly, to all her teachers, she started doing very well in school . .with only a semester to go, her greatest trial in life hit her… ..her dad who had been so very supportive of her dream was down with emphysema and it was clear he would never be able to attend her graduation…and was also feared he may not live to see the day …With a heavy heart and tears in her eyes, Bessie bought her cap and gown two weeks before the graduation and took a fake diploma scroll to go and see dad on his sick bed……her father’s eyes brightend up on seeing his daughter in her graduation gown ..a dream he had been living for….and as if that was the energy he needed to live, his health seemed to improve from that day …he died a month after her graduation……with a huge smile on his face…Bessie was the first of his family of six to get a degree… Bessie’s stubborn refusal to surrender her dream and her rocklike courage to face and change the circumstances of her life shocked all the peole around her…and after all the struggles that she went through…she finally got the degree it never seemed was for her to have in life …on the day of the interview at Coleman Place Elementary..where Bessie had worked for years as a cleaner ..there were 3 candidates for the teachin job, all fresh from college applying for the job with her….but it was clear to the principal who will be picked….”anyone who will work so hard to get wat she wants deserves it ” he said as he handed her the employment letter And Bessie kept working hard as she took her place as a teacher in the school……… ….she always arrived to work an hour earlier to give each student a hug as they come in the class…Bessie was earning more than twice what she used to when she was a cleaner in the school…and was doing great as teacher too….at the end of the day she ensures the students place back their chairs and empty the waste baskets before leaving the class…to make the job easier for the cleaners who come in the morning… ..and as she seats to teach the students in the calss she could still hear that voice in her as she sees the cleaners going out after cleaning the classes.. ..“Do you want to be cleaning these classess all ur life or do you want to also be one of the teachers in this school?” Greatness is born in the life of everyone but we need courage to bring it out, becos greatness is God’s plan for all of us… .u are where u are today not because of the plans the Lord has for ur life but because of ur lack of desire to pursue His plans for ur life…for His plans for ur life are clear…they are plans for good and not for evil..to prosper u in ur life… ..and it is never too late for God to change the story of ur life… .until u start tinkin of the great plans He has for u and not of the situation u are passin through..would He take u to the place He has designed for ur life…because as u tink so shall u become Are u sayin its too old for u to have a new life now?...too old for u to try sometin new in ur life?....too old for u to live ur dream and u ave resigned to fate?...well Bessie didnt start living her dream till she went back to school at age thirty eight, she did not change the circumstances of her life untill she stood up to face it....and u too wont chang the circumstances of ur life until u stand up to face it .....Ray Kroc the founder of McDonald Hamburger franchise was a paper cup salesman for the best part of his life ...but he didnt give up trying to be someone great till at age 52 he brought out the McDonald franchise After a lifetime of labour, Colonel Sanders had nothing to show in life, but he kept trying to do something great with his life, he knew there was greateness in him and it was never too late for him to be wat he was created to be....he came out of retirement at age of 52 years and decided that retirement was not the end of his life...he took his secret formula of chicken recipe that no one even thought it was something special, sometin he had been workin on for years and he started the Kentucky fried Chicken.. Churchill was considerd too old to pursue a political career but came forward to become the greatest wartime prime minister ever at 66 Ronald Reagan was considered most unlikely to put a strong challenge at his age, but he stunned all by achieving a stunning victory to the White House at 68 and establishing one of the most impressive record of leadership in the modern world…. Michelango painted his famous masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between ages 71 and 89, he was able to be working up the ladder..Coco Chanel was having her fashion company at age 85 ...Sir Richard Akwright was 50 years when he even started learning english and improving his spellings and he became one of the greatest english writers ...Benjamin Franklin, noted for his inventions and writings, was above 50 years when he started studying science and philosophy..and he became one of history’s greatest men John Milton in his blindness was above 50 yeras when he sat down to compose the great poem, PARADISE LOST..Sir Walter Scott was 55 years when he decided to take up his pen to raise an income that would wipe away a liability of 600,000 pounds. ..for twenty five more years Hulda Cooks devoted her time and training to climbing some of the tallest spots in the world and by her nineties she became the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji… Wat excuse is holding u down from starting a new and exciting chapter in ur life?...startin a new business, goin for a new degree, a new adventure, a new plan or a new profession all along? Fulling that long desire u always have?.....is it time or age u tink is not on ur side?....anytin u are ready the rock of ages is ready to see u to ur dream..for His plans for u are plans of good Yes, stand up now and listen to that voice speakin in u…it is never too late to puruse ur dream…it is never too late to change ur history…u maye face a lot of obstacles on the way…negetive and discouragin remarks from the people around u … whatever u do, whatever happens …. just don’t quit….and u don’t quit, God will surprise u as u takes u higher than u ever dream in ur life…because He has a great plan for u
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 23:00:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015