"Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert." -Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV
Stephen A. Smith was born in the Bronx, New York and raised in the Hollis section of Queens, New York. After graduating high school and attending Fashion Institute of Technology, he received a basketball scholarship at Winston-Salem State University, where he graduated in 1991. During his time at Winston-Salem State, he wrote a column for the university newspaper.
Smith’s professional print media career started working for companies such as the Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News and Record, and the New York Daily News. Next, Smith worked for 16 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He began his career at ESPN in 2003 as an analyst for the network’s NBA Shootaround (now named NBA Countdown) pregame show. Since then, he has had phenomenal opportunities with ESPN and ESPN2, including his own television show entitled, “Quite Frankly.” In addition, he hosted his own radio show called, “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” He is also a very integral part of one of the best sports debate show on television today, “ESPN’s First Take.” Stephen A. Smith has had a successful career thus far and still has a long career ahead of him.
Ironically, Smith was held back in the fourth grade because he had a first grade reading level. He was even ridiculed by kids in the neighborhood because of it. Smith didn’t allow what he went through in the fourth grade to break him down. I’m sure that he used that as motivation to grow and be the best that he can be and look at him now.
Have you ever encountered a situation in your life where you have been picked on by others because of a physical or learning disability? Have you ever been part of a single-family household that is dealing with fi - nancial difficulty and you are wondering how you and your family’s needs are going to be met? Have you ever felt sad because of a bad breakup with a girlfriend or boyfriend? Have you ever been bullied or persecuted for no reason? Are you part of a family in which your parent has had an addiction? What kind of setbacks have you faced in your life that has caused you to lose hope?
God loves you so very much despite your setbacks or mistakes. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are never alone and Jesus has left you with an advocate, the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of you. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us and gives us peace that others will not understand (Philippians 4:7), not only in the most difficult moments but in every area of life. You are more than enough, and you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). You are qualified and God did not make a mistake when He made you.
God created all of us for a reason and He has given us all gifts to use for His glory. Never allow anyone to tell you that you don’t have the ability to perform any task, skill, hobby, or career path. We don’t have to allow our past struggles, setbacks, or difficulties to stop us from accomplishing great things in our lives. It is so important for us to draw close to God and as the Bible says, “God will draw close to us” (James 4:8). We can draw close to God by growing in our relationship with Him through prayer and reading/studying His Word. As a result, God can give us the strength to move forward from our past so that we can reach our full potential and receive everything that He has for us. For us to reach our full potential, we must seek God’s will for our lives, believe in the abilities that He has given us, trust in Him, work hard, and be patient knowing that God will provide for us.
We can reach our full potential with God.
Proverbs 3:5-6
2 Corinthians 3:5
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Philippians 3:13-14
Philippians 4:6-8
Isaiah 26:3
• Habakkuk 2:2-3