Potential

"One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential."
-- Maya Angelou

Having potential is one of the greatest gifts of life. With potential, anyone can look at a situation, or a person, and see something that isn't there yet, but could be someday. We do this all the time -- with our kids, with our jobs, with the Washington Huskies football team (maybe there is little potential there this year, but you never know!).

In fact, potential is always based in the fact that the seed has already been planted for whatever we think might happen. We catch a glimpse of the glory that could be, and that causes us to have hope in the future, even if we are struggling in the present. It gives us hope -- but not a hope based in nothing, but in Something that we have seen.

Yet, how much of our world lives without potential? I wonder if that is why people buy lottery tickets -- because they need to have something in their life that has potential.

Yet, it is easy for me to look at others, and fail to look at myself. What are the "lottery tickets" in my own life that I look to to provide a shallow potential, instead of the deep potential that God wants for me?

"But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Isreal: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Isaiah 43

As God followers, we believe that God has claimed us and redeemed us. Somewhere, in the depths of our soul he has written his name on our hearts. He has called us by name, and claimed us as his own. We as Christians even believe that God saw so much potential in us that he sent his Son to live and die on our behalf. In other words, God saw potential in us. He has given us meaning and purpose because of he saw potential in us. And in him, we have been given hope.

That hope is not static, but active and growing. And when I ground myself in seeing me as God sees me, it gives me courage.

For courage comes when I am confident that I can face the scary tasks ahead -- that there is a good chance that I will come through.

Lord, help us all to see in ourselves the potential that you see in us. AMEN