02/10/2021
In Honor of Black History Month
What Drives You?
While making some notes from some study material, I suddenly stopped to ask a few of my co-workers the question "What Drives You?" Their answers were a little varied but ultimately the same. I was really surprised at their responses. I had just read some information on the subject and I expected to hear at least a few of the things that I read about. Instead, I discovered that either people are not driven by what society expects them to be driven by or most people don't put a lot of thought into it; they just do what they do. I really thought that the responses I received would give me lots to write about, but they actually caused me to think more about the subject.
The material I was reading said many people are driven by guilt, resentment, anger, fear, materialism and/or the need for approval. I realized that the word "driven" could mean one thing to one person and something else to another. I decided to look up the word for some clarity. Webster defines driven as: having a compulsive or urgent quality or propelled or motivated by something.
When I looked at myself I discovered that I am driven or motivated by different things at different times, but my main driving force is survival. When I wake up every morning my goal is to make it over any obstacles or hurdles to the end of day. The goal I have beyond that is to wake up the next day. There are times when I am driven by guilt and I am consumed with trying to right some wrongs. Other days I am driven by fear - am I going to make it through this recent calamity? On those days my actions are generally to try to avert one disaster after another. There are some days that I wake up and I am full of resentment and anger at myself and those I have allowed to impact my life negatively. Those are the days that I waste time thinking about what could have been or should have been. Sometimes I think about how much I want a nice car and a beautiful home with beautiful furnishings and gorgeous clothes for myself, my daughter and granddaughters. On more days than I like to admit, I am driven by the need for someone, anyone to give me their approval. I am ashamed to admit that I often crave a pat on the back or a word of encouragement. I am more than a little embarrassed to admit that I am often disappointed when I do not receive the approval I seek, which is more often than I want to acknowledge ~ that is a problem for another day.
What drives you? When you think about it guilt, resentment, anger, fear, materialism and approval are not sufficient reasons for the driving force of our existence. What is your reason for living? What makes you want to get up each morning and face the day ahead of you?
I'm sure most of you have heard or read about Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona, FL. She was driven by the desire to provide quality education to young African American children at a time when it was difficult for them to receive education of any kind.
She was born the 15th of 17 children to former slaves in South Carolina. She began her education in a one-room school house. From there she attended Scotia Seminary (now Barber-Scotia College) on a scholarship and she then attended Dwight Moody's Institute for Home and Foreign Missions in Chicago (now the Moody Bible Institute)
She opened the Daytona Literary and Industrial School for Training Negro Girls in October 1904, with six pupils (five girls and her son). She started the school in a house she rented for $11.00 a month. The first students used discarded crates for desks. They used the juice from berries to make ink for their pens and they made pencils from burned wood. People in the community had fish fry's and bake sales to earn money to keep the school going.
In 1923 Bethune's school for girls merged with Cookman Institute of Jacksonville, Florida, a school for boys. The new school became known as Bethune-Cookman Collegiate Institute, soon renamed Bethune-Cookman College.
Engraved in the side of a sculpture erected in her honor in Lincoln Park, Washington, D.C. is a passage from her Last Will and Testament. "I leave you love. I leave you hope. I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. I leave you a thirst for education. I leave you a respect for the use of power. I leave you faith. I leave you racial dignity. I leave you a desire to live harmoniously with your fellow men. I leave you, finally, a responsibility to our young people."
Mary McLeod Bethune was driven by the desire to see young people receive a quality education and reach their full potential and accomplish their goals. Her drive led her to be one the world's greatest educators and a prominent political spokesperson.
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23 (KJV)
What drives you?
Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for visionaries like Mary McLeod Bethune who used the gifts, talents and tools you gave them to uplift and encourage the rest of us to "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus". Help us, God, to know what tools you have given us all to make a difference; then give us the drive and motivation to pursue the objectives you have positioned in all of us. Show us how to use our drive to pursue positive things rather than the negative. Teach us how to be strong and courageous and to stay on the path that leads us to you.
In the name of Jesus we pray,
AMEN
Be blessed!
Minister Sherri A. Hoover
