President Reagan described the US culture this way: “The American people are not interested in your origins, they are interested in your destinations.”
As an immigrant to the US, I can vouch for this. While in other countries, which tribe you belong to, what area of the country you grew up in, or the class you are a member of is foundational to how you are judged and therefore treated. In the US though, origins are less important.
Origins often are areas we did not choose and cannot control. Destinations, we choose. The cliché, “Don’t look back, look forward,” is what we ought to practice. Don’t worry if your origins are meager. From a financial standpoint, a statistic I read says that 60% of billionaires come from humble beginnings.
Don’t worry if you were a fisherman, God can make you an apostle. (Peter)
Don’t worry if you were a shepherd, God can make you a king. (David)
Don’t worry if you were a slave, God can make you a deliverer. (Moses)
Don’t worry if you were a prisoner, God can make you a prime minister. (Joseph)
Don’t worry if you were a persecutor, God can make you a preacher. (Paul)
Don’t worry if you were a fearful man, God can make you a mighty warrior. (Gideon)
Don’t worry if you were an orphan, God can make you a queen. (Esther)
Don’t worry if you were an adulteress, God can make you the lineage of Christ. (Rahab)
Don’t worry if you were a cupbearer, God can make you a rebuilder of nations. (Nehemiah)
Regardless of where you come from, God can use you in a mighty way. Concern yourself with the destinations that God wants you to go, and put your life fully in His hands.
