Have you ever heard a parent say, “We weren’t expecting this child; they were a surprise,” or “they were an accident?” Well, that child may have been a surprise to the parents, but they were not a surprise to Almighty God. No child can be born without God breathing His life into them. You may think, “Well, Joel, I was unwanted. I was an unplanned pregnancy. My mother and father weren’t married.” No, you wouldn’t be here if God didn’t give life to your seed. In God’s eyes, there is no such thing as being illegitimate. You didn’t just show up unwanted or unannounced. God had already planned out your days long before you ever entered into this world.

That’s what God said to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). “Before you were born, I knew you and called you to be a prophet to the nations.” Notice, he had an assignment from Almighty God before he was ever even born. That means our past doesn’t start with our parents; it starts with God. You may not have had the blessing of having a father in the home when you were growing up. Or, maybe you didn’t have a mother that really loved you and spoke faith into you. But that doesn’t have to stop you from fulfilling your purpose. A parent may not have given you their blessing, but the good news is that God gave you His blessing! The very fact that we woke up with air to breathe today is a reminder that we are called, chosen and anointed. We are set apart, and we are people of destiny.

Today, get rid of every thought that’s telling you that you’re a mistake because you didn’t really have a father around, or you didn’t have a good mother. No, listen. The scripture says God will be a Father to the fatherless. You don’t have to have everybody else’s approval. You have God’s approval. That’s all that really matters. You may have a thousand reasons to live with a chip on your shoulder and stay defeated and depressed—you may have a reason, but you don’t have a right. Almighty God breathed His life into you, and He’s given you an assignment. It’s time to move forward. You are not here to just take up space. You’re not supposed to just drag through the day with no enthusiasm. You’re supposed to be living an abundant life, pursuing your God-given dreams and making a difference in our world. Let this be your attitude today, “I am not settling where I am. Life may have been unfair, people may have let me down, but I know God will never let me down. I choose to release the past through forgiveness and embrace my future by faith! I have a destiny, I have a purpose, I am forgiven, I am accepted, I am wanted, and I am approved. Therefore, I will press forward toward the abundant life He has prepared for me!”