Life sometimes seems not to be going according to your plan, but surely it’s going exactly according to God’s plan. God’s delays are not His denials, anything which accompanies you throughout your journey happens for a reason.

There was a time in my life where I felt like everyone was destined for greatness except me. People used to tease me due to my appearance. I almost left school due to rumours that were roaming around school saying that I’m was the only boy in my class who was afraid of approaching girls. They even called me gay. I was tempted to attack them physically, but I always remembered the saying: “When life gives you lemons, don’t panic, use them to make lemonade.” Since they were teasing my fat body; I would use it to attack them.

I wish they looked into my eyes and saw the pain I was carrying and going through. I was a laughing stock to them. They didn’t know that they were injecting a sharp thorn into my soul, which was full of the poison of pain, hatred and aggressiveness. I lost my self-esteem and saw my life as undesirable. Time passed by and I found a way to adapt to those allegations. God gave me a chance to pass through those storms and I was promoted to grade 10.

I started 2014 with hope knowing that it would be my best year as I left primary school in 2013 and started secondary school in 2014. Like other learners, I was so excited to find myself being in a new class. We were introduced to our new teachers; they guided us and tried to convince us that anything was possible.

The school bell rang for lunch so I went home to grab something to eat. As I was approaching the school gate, there stood a pretty girl with an angelic face. I saw a happier me reflected in her eyes. Each and every day I stayed in after school to watch her as she walked home over the small hill. I couldn’t stop thinking about her but I couldn’t approach her because I was the most uninteresting boy among other boys. That was the opinion of my former classmates. A wise man once said, “If you can judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life knowing that it’s a fool.”

I was one of the top mathematics learners at school. When she accidentally saw my mathematics mid-year exam paper, she was impressed and congratulated me. That’s when I realised that certain things in life can’t be changed, but can be altered in ways which will mask them. I might have wished to be handsome, but the way I was, was what God wanted me to be. The only way to improve my life was to focus on my studies.

***

Tell us what you think: Did you ever had trouble fitting in at school? How did you overcome it?