9.1.8 "The Power of the 'Potential' Perspective"

"The Power of the 'Potential' Perspective"

Job 40:1-42:17
2 Corinthians 5:12-21
Psalm 45:1-17
Proverbs 22:14

"You're not good enough to be a piano major." Those were the words of my piano teacher my second year of college. He was right. "You wont be able to get a job teaching orchestra because of you lack the background and experience." I was told that by several people, including my supervising teacher when I student taught. All of these words were pretty discouraging. Shame on them for saying that, right? No, the reality is that they were all correct in their assessment of me.

"I know the plans that I have for you..." yes, these words are from Jeremiah 29:11, but everytime I hear them, I hear the voice of Ralph, the guy who lived across the hall from me at college. He had a slight speech impediment, and really bad breath ALL the time. He was one of those who always stood just a little too close when talking to you, too, so there was no escaping it. I think of him EVERY time I hear this familiar scripture. I was in my dorm room discouraged about my ability to become who I thought God had called me to be. Ralph knocked on the door. He had been praying in his room, and God told him to come read this scripture to me. From that moment on, Ralph became my encourager. He was seeing a potential in me that others couldn't. He knew that God had a plan for me. I began to believe it. Once I did, the words of the teachers and others were no longer stop signs in my path of obedience. They became great tools for me to focus my attentions on the weaker areas of my life. I began to embrace them. It made all the difference in the world.

What happens when you see others? Do you see the short-comings or do you see the potential? If you were a contemporary of Jesus, what would your judgment of him been the first time you saw him? Would you have seen the potential?

Paul says, "So stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, merely as a human being like myself. How differently I feel now! When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun!" (2 Cor 5:16-17)

There are members of the Body of Christ around you and me every day. What do I see in them? Am I looking through worldly eyes, or am I looking from a "potential" perspective. What's the difference?

If you see a brother or sister in Christ the way God sees them, you begin to treat them a whole new way. You become an encourager. Can you name the encouragers in your life? You know who they are. You love to be around them. They make you feel like you can accomplish anything. For some, encouraging comes very natural. Encouragement is not one of my natural gifts, but over the years, I've really tried hard to see people through the "potential"-perspective. What a difference it makes in my attitude! Human eyes look at everything comparatively. God sees a fresh creation each time. When you look through a Potential Perspective, you begin to see how God can use them to change their world!

Someone you come in contact with today may be about to give up. They may be holding back from using their gifts. They may be afraid to walk in obedience. They may need Ralph to knock on their door. A few words from you could change their world. (But feel free to use a breath mint!)

To live in "Relationships Devoted to Unity", you live with a Potential Perspective. This is your mission. To encourage. To help someone discover and become who God has created them to be.

When the Body of Christ begins to function in this way, it's like a flood of oxygen to atrophied muscles. There is a new vitality. Christians begin to live what they believe: That God has a plan. There is a purpose. Great things will come.

You may need to adjust your 'lenses' today. You may have been seeing as the world sees. It's time to look at someone the way God does. Live with a Potential Perspective.



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ