Webster’s defines potential as “existing in possibility: capable of development into actuality.” We all have potential. We all have the potential for greatness and on the other side of the coin, we all have the potential for….not so greatness. Where are you right now in your life? What is your mindset? Are you allowing fear and doubt to blur your vision and rob you of your God-given potential?
I always knew I had the potential to be great but I didn’t always act on it. I drifted through life, knowing that there were greater possibilities out there but never reached out and grabbed ahold of them as they flew by. I never went the extra mile. I believe we are all frightened at times. What happens if I go after this, or I go after that and I fail? Here is the reality. We were all made in God’s image. It says so in Genesis. So doesn’t that mean that we all have the ability to be great?
Now we aren’t all going to be the best at everything. Some people are meant to be athletes, some teachers, some people have the natural abilities to be farmers and physicians. But then that really all boils down to what our God-given purpose in life may be. It says in Jeremiah 1 that before you were born God knew you. He knew your path, the places you were supposed to go and the things that you were meant to accomplish. I think this may be where our confusion, anxiety, and unrest may rear its ugly head into our lives. Although we may want to be a baseball player and we may have the potential to do so, it just may not be in God’s plan for us.
I recently listened to a sermon by Steven Furtick, the Pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. He said, “Maybe you are tormenting yourself over a potential that you didn’t reach because you are judging yourself against a purpose that isn’t your.”
Take a moment….let that sink it. That statement is extremely profound. I pray everyday for God to open my eyes to the path I’m supposed to be on. I know He isn’t going to send down an email with MapQuest directions for the whole journey. But I know there will be slight nudges everyday in the direction I’m supposed to be moving. I see it all the time. There are things that happen, places I end up, things I experience, that I believe wouldn’t be possible without His guidance, and that soft whisper in my ear, “Hey, look over there.”
Let us not get discouraged by things that we think we should have or things that we think are meant for us to do, because in God’s plan, we may in fact be meant for much greater. Don’t be afraid to ask God for help, for guidance. That’s what He is here for. James 1:5-6 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
So reach out for that guidance. We can’t do it all alone, and we aren’t supposed to do it all alone. Have faith, for that is a very important part of the equation, and believe that what you ask for, if God ordained, will take place. God will marry your potential and your purpose into one, and then you will truly be on the path for greatness.
Tetelestai 