"And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown and in his own household." And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” Matthew 13:53-58There is a great baseball player named Josh Hamilton, who plays for the Texas Rangers. Today, he is one of the best baseball players around. But this has not always been the case.
Josh was drafted first overall in the amateur draft. He was projected to be a super star. He was supposed to play a few years in the minors and then jump right up into the big league. While he was in the minors he got into a car accident and ended up in the hospital. Around this same time, he had some family tragedies happen. He soon became depressed and addicted to drugs going in and out eight times. He separated from his wife, wound up jobless, and lost 50 pounds because of his drug addiction. Josh hit rock bottom and started seeking God for help.
He and his wife started attending church again and he was baptized. With God’s help he was able to mend his marriage and get over his addiction. His life was forever changed. After three years away from baseball the league reinstated Josh – and people were shocked. Along the way people told Josh he couldn’t do it because they knew of all his secrets. They continued to tell him that he hadn’t changed and that he would never accomplish anything.
Jesus faced the same negativity. He was continually surrounded by people that he grew up who knew his humble background. They knew that Jesus was the son of a mere carpenter and could not fathom that he was the Messiah.
People have a tendency to judge people based on everything but character. Jesus and Josh didn’t let the harsh criticism stop them from achieving their destinies. Don’t let people rob you of your passion. You can change and you can make a difference.
