Nobody is a Nobody!
This is true story about a boy who, the world might say, was a terrible underachiever. While in the Junior School he failed subjects repeatedly. Senior School wasn't much better either; he failed Latin, Algebra, English, and in Physics he achieved a zero mark. The boy managed to make it into the school golf team but he lost the most important golf match of the season, and even though it was a consolation match, he had failed miserably in that too.
It wasn't that his colleagues disliked him; it's just that they never really seemed to notice him much. Even an "Hello" at the beginning of school was a rarity.
Out of all the failures in his life, there was something that did hold great importance to this boy and that was his love of drawing. Although in school the cartoons he submitted for the school magazine were rejected he was so sure of his own artistic talent that he approached the Walt Disney Studios with his drawing samples. I wish I could say that the studio executives loved his work and immediately took him on but this was not to be the case and he was rejected again.
Despite his many lack of successes this boy did not give up. He then decided to write his own life story in cartoons, about a little boy who was regarded as a loser and a nobody.
The name of this boy was Charles Schulz and he was the creator of the famous Charlie Brown and Peanuts cartoon comic strip.
In our own lives too it is easy to feel like a nobody. We pass hundreds of people on the street, on our way to work, or to school; or we walk through a faceless crowd in the shopping centres, and no one seems to notice or care about us. Deep inside, we may know that we are special and are unique and have lots to offer, but unless someone takes the time to look our way and give us a chance, we may often feel worthless and useless, just like Charlie Brown, who couldn't even manage to fly a kite or to kick a football properly.
Just as Charles Schulz had faith in his artistic talent, so too, must we realise that nobody is a nobody, everybody is somebody.... especially in God's eyes. We all have special gifts and talents, and every human being is deserving and capable of being loved and appreciated. See the rose in peoples souls and not the thorns of their characters and personalities.
Every day you must look deep within yourselves, and rather than just see what you can do to improve yourselves, find what you really like about yourself, what you can really do!
Do you have an awesome laugh, or smile? Are you thoughtful and sensitive to the needs of others? Are you down-to-earth and practical? What are you actually good at? Do you enjoy your ability to dream and hope, even in the face of failure, like Charles Schulz?
Use your talents and abilities to the full, you are special, and whilst others might not recognise your talents, you and God know what they are and, just like Charles Schulz, you will make it one day; so go for it!
Original story: © 1998 Melanie Schurr. Adaptation: © 2002 David West.
