My Hometown

John 1:46 - “And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.”
     North, south, east or west; each region believes that it is best. Geography seems to matter a lot to some people. They claim one area has the best food while another brags about its cultural base and another of its desirable weather. As Christ was developing his earthy ministry one of the newcomers commented about the homeland of Christ suggesting that nothing good could be associated with Nazareth.
     Do not be ashamed of where you come from or your family’s background no matter how unsophisticated or simple it might seem in comparison to others. Most of us who can trace our family tree back a few generations will find humble beginnings. After all, Christ came from a lowly station in life to demonstrate to the world that God uses whatever and wherever he chooses to make his purpose known. Maybe your grandmother could not read, but she could wash and iron and save to make sure her children went to school. Or maybe college was not the path for dad and he chose military service which forced the family to relocate often. And so what if incarcerations or unplanned pregnancies or addictions snared members of your family; we are who God says that we are; not what circumstance tries to dictate.
     God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He used a harlot from Jericho; a concerned traveler from Samaria; a woman at a well; a shepherd boy from Bethlehem and he can use you too. Whether you are from the heights of Cherry Hill, NJ; New Orleans’ 9th Ward; the streets of south Central LA; the south side of Chicago; the ritzy shores of Southampton or a barrio in Albuquerque, your life is important and the contribution you make to this world is not about where you come from but where you are going! Hurray for your hometown.
     Every day is a good day it is up to us to make it a GREAT. Live Victoriously! Be blessed! Dr. JoAnn