From POTENTIAL to POTENT

There’s so much talk about potential in our culture, as if it’s the end-all of success. Has anyone ever said about you, “He/She has so much potential”?  Potential is a glimpse of what could be, yet there must be a shift from where we have potential to where we are potent.” – Erwin McManus

I am traveling this week with my son to see 5 universities that are possibilities for him to attend.  We are trying to be wise and seek God's guidance, look at possibilities, and give opportunity to take his potential and turn it into something potent!  This is an exciting moment, there is really a blank slate even though he has a direction of what he wants to do and the potential meter is reading "full", this is the moment we start to make that shift in thinking from potential to potent! 

Training

Pablo Picasso once said; that he is always doing that which he cannot do, in order that he may learn how to do it. I am not a huge Picasso art fan but he is a good example to the unlimited potential in each of us because he did not just sit with his potential, he pursued it. He openly admitted that there were things that he could not do, but at the same time, he constantly challenged himself for the purpose of building upon his talent. Most people will dismiss this logic by pointing out that Picasso had a natural God-given talent. True, but even with his talent, he still underwent formal academic art training from the time he was a child. From childhood on, his life consisted of creating works of art in unique styles of painting as he further developed his talent.

Persistence

This takes persistence! We have commit to be persistent in our efforts. Persistence is the secret ingredient to realizing potential. Without it, we will likely stop digging just two feet short of oil.  Without persistence, our life will be full of could haves and should haves. The uncertainty of what may have been will eat us alive if we do not see things through to the end. Worst of all, we are not even giving ourselves the opportunity to succeed.

Wisdom

We are also lost if we don't seek wisdom in all of this.  The need for God becomes more evident with each step. Here is a good word on seeking Gods wisdom:

Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God. It's through Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen. Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you.  Proverbs 9:7 (The Message)

It is an interesting journey we all are on....making ourselves available to be consistently learning, pursuing our God given talents with persistence, and the finding of our direction and path through seeking God's wisdom!

Be encouraged....your potential meter is on and it shows "FULL"....now go and make it something potent!