Potential

I spent the better part of last week in Toronto at the annual corporate launch event for the company I work for. As is always the case at these things it was full of attempts to motivate and inspire all of the employees to go out and strive harder, be better, go farther. And, of course, the expectation from all of this is that we go out and make the company more money. Don't get me wrong; I do believe my company on the whole really does care a ton about the people we employ and everyone else for that matter. We even have a non-profit org that helps provide schools, houses, and technology equipment across the world. Still, I wonder though, can I reach my potential at a place like that?

See, as with all other areas of life I am supposed to have a different view of my potential than a corporation or of anyone that doesn't have Christ as their center. But when I look at myself, I usually look at my potential in terms of career, money, and the like. It is a rare thing that I actually consider my potential in the view of Christ. What does that mean for me? Well for starters I believe it means my view of my potential is VERY, EXTREMELY small! Through my eyes, my flawed human eyes, I cannot even begin to imagine what kind of potential God has put within me.

Not to get too sidetracked, but according to Wikipedia potential energy is the energy stored in a body or in a system due to its position in a force field or due to its configuration. Think about that for a minute in terms of God and the Holy Spirit. If I claim to have named Christ as Lord, then I should have the Holy Spirit within me. With that "configuration" or "force field" I have to think that my potential is in effect limitless/infinite. Therefore, I have the potential (since the Spirit is in me) to be used in the most extraordinary ways. To think instead that my potential on this earth is all about getting that next promotion or making that next buck is to say that I don't care about what God really wants from me. I care more about what my company wants from me instead.

As Paul says in Ephesians 3:20, we have a God "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." That is real potential. That is what allows one person to be used to truly change the world. That is the potential that allows hearts to be changed from selfish ambition and fear to sacrifice and love.

What is my potential? I don't know that I can really answer that very well right now. I just know that I no longer want to think about my potential in the limited, this world view any longer. What is your potential? I would argue that it is MUCH greater than what you give yourself credit for today. I would argue that you have a REALLY long way to go to even begin a journey to reach your potential. That is, of course if you believe in the God Paul wrote about. If we will just seek out our REAL potential based on our REAL potential energy, the Holy Spirit in us, then we will lead a world to the Cross.