Potential

Hey Everyone,

Do you ever think about potential? Potential is one of those words you dread hearing as a teenager, that's because it is usually being yelled at you while you are watching TV. Potential is one of those things that I think about a lot because of the nature of my work. I decided to try to educate myself a little bit about potential, so I did what I generally do when I want to learn more about a word, I went to the dictionary. The dictionary defines potential in this way.

po·ten·tial

/pəˈtɛnʃəl/ Show Spelled[puh-ten-shuhl]

–adjective

1.

possible, as opposed to actual: the potential uses of nuclear energy.

2.

capable of being or becoming: a potential danger to safety.

It is the second definition which I would like to talk about a little today, this idea of what we can be become. I am blessed with the opportunity to work with hundreds of teenagers every summer at youth camps and area youth gatherings. Something amazing happens every summer, and when I say every summer I mean every summer. The thing that happens is that you see young men and women going above and beyond their comfort zones every year. The young man who would not ever lead singing will step up and lead a song in a time or worship, the young lady who is scared to talk to anyone makes lifelong friendships with the girl in her cabin and the friend who has come with one of your youth group members sees that their life in conflict with God's will and yields their life to Christ through the water grave of baptism. I would never want to trivialize any of this, but, what it all comes down to is living up to potential.

Let me explain. Nothing supernatural occurred for that young man to lead that song, the little girl who was shy didn't drink a magic potion that made her outgoing and the young person that gives their life to Christ was not possessed by some force that made them yield their life to Christ. What happened to all of these teens is that they were simply put into an environment that encouraged qualities that were already present in their lives, and that environment was filled with people who encouraged the development of those qualities.

Thinking about all of this makes me wonder what our world would be like if we all lived up to our potential. What if, like these teenagers, we took advantage of the qualities that God has already placed in us and lived up to our potential? I believe our world would be a better place. More than that I believe we would look a whole lot more like Christ if we strived to live up to our potential. Consider for a moment what the Apostle Paul said.

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (New International Version)
⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. ¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

What that translates into in my mind is living up to potential. Those of us that are Christians have this treasure within us, but it is our decision on if, how and when we decide to use it. More than that we have to get past the attitude that "someone else will do it". One of the greatest killers of potential is the idea that someone else is going to do whatever it is that you are challenged with. If we live our lives content with allowing someone else to always do what is needed then we are definitely not living up to our potential.

Teenagers often times get the bad rap of not living up to their potential. I don't deny that teenagers don't always live up to their potential but I would also say that teenagers learn that attitude from somewhere. I propose that teenagers have learned that from us as adults. They have learned it from the salesman who is really meant to be a teacher, the teacher who was meant to be a poet and the housewife who is sitting on the next great American novel.

As you read these words today I challenge you to not be content to not live up to your potential. I challenge you to look at your life and see what your potential could be, simply put, don't be afraid to dream. Take a lesson from that young man at camp who never lead a song before but took a chance. Take a page from the book of the little shy girl who came home with a new group of friends. Think like the friend that a youth group member came and decide to start living your life for Christ. Maybe you need put yourself in an environment that will foster this growth and your potential, maybe you need to leave an environment that is stifling you. To All of you who read my thoughts are such a blessing to me. I hope that I have been a blessing to you today.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul