The Rev. Al Sharpton told a Charlotte crowd Friday that individuals, if they are to be fulfilled in life, must find their calling.

Speaking on the final day of the 104th annual session of the National Baptist Congress, Sharpton said some people worry too much about what God is doing with others.

He told a story about meeting with Nelson Mandela shortly after the former South African freedom fighter was elected president in 1994. Sharpton said he asked Mandela whether he knew he would become president after spending 27 years in prison. Mandela said he could not have predicted that outcome but knew that if he did what was right, wrong would eventually be conquered.

“Life is not about your guarantees,” Sharpton told a crowd of about 3,000. “Life is about finding out where you should stand and letting God do the rest.”

In a meeting with a Charlotte Observer reporter, Sharpton defended President Barack Obama's handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, saying "the media has been unfair to him."

Sharpton accused prior administrations of being too accommodating to BP. The oil company has given misinformation to officials in the past, he said.

"That didn't happen under (President Obama's) administration,” Sharpton told the Observer. “That certainly pre-dated him. So I think, given the information he had, he couldn't have done any more."

In his speech to convention-goers, Sharpton said faith in God can overcome enormous barriers, even when the world presents impossibilities.

“Every one of us has a crown, but you’ll miss your crown trying to figure out and second guess God’s call,” he said.

Given the many problems in the black community, Sharpton said, church people should be active.

“You’re talking about, ‘God, what would you have me to do?’ There’s plenty for you to do,” he said.

Sharpton accepted the R.H. Boyd for Excellence award, presented by T.B. Boyd III, president and CEO of the National Baptist Congress.

He said he plans to travel to the Gulf region next week to speak with local fisherman on his radio show. The broadcast will allow the nation to hear first-hand of troubles created by the oil spill, he said.
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The Observer's Brittany Penland contributed to this report.

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