The most successful businessman and the largest employer in my home country did not receive a formal education. Many people used to say that he could not even write his name. This was, of course, an exaggerated way to express his lack of education. This lack of formal education did not prevent him from leading a financial empire worth several billion CFA francs. There are numerous examples of this kind all over the world. However, I must clarify that I am not against schools and diplomas at all. I am simply advocating for greater recognition of the gifts and talents that each child has received from their creator.

The internationally renowned artist Michael Jackson, also known as the “King of Pop,” did not have a significant educational background. However, he is among those who have most influenced their generation. His musical gifts and talents paved the way for him among the greatest on this planet.

The famous speaker, coach, and American author Les Brown was abandoned by his parents at birth. He was later adopted by a woman who had already adopted other children. Les Brown had so many difficulties in school that the institution eventually declared that he was mentally retarded and should be enrolled in a school for the mentally disabled. His adoptive mother and he had accepted this verdict and were resigned.

However, Les regained hope the day he met a teacher who advised him not to let others’ opinions determine his life. This teacher told him that he was capable of succeeding in life if he truly desired it. From that day on, Les Brown decided to work on his gift of motivation and communication. It was this gift that allowed him, years later, to become one of the highest-paid speakers in the United States.

American entrepreneur Steve Jobs, considered one of the major innovators in computing and a visionary genius, made a fortune by creating Apple. Yet, he dropped out of university to focus on the gifts he had received from his creator. Steve Jobs had something more valuable than a diploma, which is why he didn’t wait for one. He had the courage to focus on his best asset, his gifts and talents. This choice allowed him to become one of the most important figures of his generation.

Allow me to tell you another story about a woman who went to see her pastor to share a challenge she had with her son. He did not want to pursue university studies. This decision was a heavy disappointment for the mother, who had always wished for her child to pursue higher education and secure a well-paying job like his father. The lady considered the father of her child as the epitome of success. She wanted her son to resemble him at all costs.

After listening attentively to this lady, the pastor spoke and asked if she knew of other people who had achieved great success apart from her husband. The woman took a few seconds to reflect and then answered affirmatively. The pastor then asked if all the other successful people had succeeded in the same field as her husband. The woman replied negatively.

The pastor continued by asking if she believed her son could also succeed in a field other than his father’s. She pondered this question for a few seconds, then smiled. She had just realized that her husband was not the only model of success. She understood that her son had different gifts and talents from his father and that he could achieve great success by relying on what he had received.

Our children’s gifts and talents are permanent.

“For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29

The apostle Paul reveals in Romans 11:29 that God never takes back the gifts He has given to human beings. This means that the various gifts our children have received will never leave their lives. All the while that Les Brown had accepted that he was mentally retarded and that nothing good could come from his life, the magnificent gift of motivation and communication was there. This gift waited patiently for Les Brown to give it importance and decide to rely on it to succeed. If Les Brown had not regained confidence in himself, he would not have achieved his feats. He continues to do so today. No matter what negative things have been said about our children, we must believe that God has placed a treasure of great value inside them even before sending them to earth.

I was born and raised in a very financially poor environment. Everyone who lived in this environment had a poor self-image. We based our value on our social and financial condition. We didn’t know that we all had extraordinary gifts just waiting to be exploited. Instead of turning our eyes to our gifts, we spent time looking around anxiously, waiting for a savior to come to our rescue. On my 17th birthday, I had the extraordinary grace to leave my ghetto and venture to Belgium, where I knew absolutely no one.

In this new environment, I met people who discerned a number of gifts and talents I was endowed with and of which I was unaware. It was from this moment that I began to realize that neither my social condition nor others’ opinions of me determined my true value. I started developing my gifts while putting them at the service of those around me.

As I relied more on my gifts, my social and financial condition began to improve considerably. A few years later, I became financially free while adding value to the lives of thousands of people through the various trainings I provide to both children and adults. I now realize that if I had stayed in my ghetto, I would probably be sitting there with anxious eyes, waiting for a savior who would never come.

No matter the condition of our children, we must never stop believing that there is greatness inside them just waiting to be discovered and developed.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:26-28

The Bible clearly tells us in this verse that God loved our children so much that He created them in His image and likeness. We cannot let our children’s value depend on external factors.

This text is an excerpt from the book “How to Help Our Children Succeed Better” written by Dominique MBOG.

We invite you to read the following article “The Enemy Prefers to Target Children.“