All Fingers Are Not Equal

For your consolation let me begin by saying that this statement is true! But the unequalness of the fingers is for the benefit of the whole hand—that it might function perfectly. Sadly, the majority of people who make this statement consciously infer that some of us are supposed to be irrelevant. It is a statement of self-relegation, a statement of laziness and capitulation. God designed the small finger to be as relevant as the thumb.

When someone says all fingers are not equal, don't they often mean to say one of the following?

“Not everyone is created to enjoy success.”

“I don't think it is in my destiny to be rich or prosper.”

“The Bible says some of us shall be poor.”

“I have tried what these 'experts' recommend—it just doesn’t work; it’s all deceit!”

I never heard more self-busting confessions! They continue to ground the destinies of many people. Unknown to them, some of the things they confess are the foxes that ultimately destroy them. If you're one of those afflicted by negative speaking, you're hearing it again—you need to change your language.

Even if you're stricken by fear, express it with restraint. If you fight, despite your fears, you might win or lose; if you don’t fight, you have lost. In the daily contest for survival, there are no stands for spectators—all are fighters.

If you're going to be defeated, at least go down fighting; only cowards are defeated before they get into a battle.

When I hear someone say all fingers are not equal, I say to them, “It is okay to try to be a short one.”

When they say they're not called to prosperity, I ask them whose voice they heard.

When they say they're not destined to be rich, I ask them who passed the verdict.

When they quote the Bible about their poverty, I tell them it also says, “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.”

When they say they tried and failed, I tell them I failed too, but it didn’t stop me. That is why I say the things that I say. I don't say these things from my head; I say them from my heart.

My aim is to try to convince them that the loud voice they mistake to be God’s is actually the Devil’s. The Devil speaks evil, and speaks very loudly; many times he borrows our voice.

In reality, people who say all fingers are not equal are those who are not striving to be any finger at all. Believing a lie doesn't make it any less a lie. I restate that the unequalness of the five fingers is designed by God for the maximum effectiveness and functionality of the hand.

If all the fingers were the same thickness and length, the hand will function awkwardly and ineffectively. Besides, cut off the shortest finger and the hand loses its beauty and ability to properly grasp an object. Take a knife and prove me wrong!

God has purposely designed us to be uniquely different. That's all. Isn't He entitled to that? Haba!

Ironically, I've discovered that people who harbour these negative beliefs desire free things the most. They forget that nothing is free. For every free gift, someone has paid the price. They have a poverty mentality sustained by their laziness. Their minds need urgent transformation from destructive thinking.

When your survival depends on the largesse or benevolence of others, you're living destructively. In what way, then, are you different from a domesticated animal that always looks to its master?

Listen, I hate poverty so much it is my desire to kick it in the face every day and bind it with strong chains. I don’t want it anywhere near me.

Yes, all fingers are not equal, but they're all suppliers of strength to the hand. They're all willing and ready for the hand’s next challenge. The fingers act cooperatively together, but they can also act independently if it comes to it. Not one of your fingers needs to be dragged along at any time. They come along by themselves. In fact, if any were to be accidentally cut off, each of the remaining fingers will take up the challenge, one way or the other. That is how resourceful the fingers are.

All this boils down to these crucial questions: how well can you stand if left alone? How resourceful are you? How much support can you provide a distressed friend? What comparative advantage do you bring to the human community?

To stand up to be counted, you must take certain necessary actions. Fortune does not smile on lazy people, it smiles on industrious people—people whose minds are freed from the fetters of self-defeat.

No one expects you to exert yourself beyond your ability. Their highest expectation is that you should make a difference, however small—in other words, simply strive to be any finger. You must be free from mental bondage for that to happen.

Enslavement is what follows when you're conquered by an adversary. Freedom comes when you conquer yourself. Yes, the greatest liberation comes when you free yourself from your own bondage. The severest oppression is the one that people inflict on themselves; and the most fundamental freedom is the freedom of the human mind.

A free mind is one that is not encumbered by fear and imposed limitations. Sadly, many people’s minds are in total bondage.

The all-fingers-are-not-equal mentality feeds constantly on low self-esteem, locks up its victim’s potentials, and binds them to suffocating poverty.

Each of us has strong points (positive attributes) and weak points (negative attributes), and we have a fair personal assessment of these attributes. None of us is perfect. It is an ideal we shoot for everyday, and it is legitimate. However, an obsession with our weaknesses and doubts overshadows and buries our strong points, leading eventually to fear, lack of confidence, and low self-worth.

On the other hand, when we focus on what we can do well, we develop the confidence to face the challenges of life. Therefore forget your weaknesses—everyone has theirs. The chances are you cannot change them, so why bother? It is like a right-handed person learning to be left-handed, or the small finger trying to be a thumb. In fact, each time we try to change a weakness, we unconsciously slip into brooding over it.

Therefore focus your attention on exploiting the areas where you show strength and advantage. Everyone has such Areas. That is what all successful people do—they leverage their strengths. Never think they know everything or can do all things well.

Success is about vigorously marketing our strong points. You do not have to do what someone else can do better. Bring a different skill, talent, or perspective to the table.

We should thank God and appreciate the fact that we do not all have the same endowments. The competition will kill us, otherwise.The large appetite of humanity for variety means that each of us has an opportunity to become relevant in the scheme of things.

An important starting point for dealing with low self-esteem is to recognize that, generally, no one will ask you to perform any task that you lack the competence to perform. Understand that, to succeed, you need not necessarily be in competition with anybody.

Just being ourselves can take us farther than we dare to think once we recognize the track God has marked for us and run on it. The biggest pitfall awaits the person who puts in an inordinate effort trying to be another person.

If you suffer from any hint of low self-esteem, I have the medication you need: get my book titled Take That Action! and read it over and over. It's time for you to change yourself!(This article is Culled from Take That Action! For more articles go to https://www.chrisekpekurede.com/blog)