Today was a beautiful day.
I went to Newspring this morning with my brother and my friend Amy. The service was AMAZING! Then I took my brother to CiCi's Pizza for lunch. I couldn't bring myself to go inside with such glorious weather, so KD and I spent the rest of the afternoon out on Bowman "studying". I am capping off the evening with a little bit of blogging and iTunes!
God pressed something into me today at the service. Have you ever looked at someone successful and wished you could be like them? Until recently, I saw everyone around me as "that type" of person that could accomplish things. I thought it was some sort of gene that I somehow didn't acquire. I thought these things just happened for them because life was just on their side. I was content to watch from the bleachers because I thought that's where I belonged and I had reached my potential.
What I have recently realized, however, is that I have SO much more potential than I could ever imagine. Jesus didn't create me to watch others make something of themselves. He created me to do something with my life. There's one catch, though. I have to actually WORK for it. Perry used the story of David to illustrate this point. He explained that David was a shepherd who loved his sheep. When a lion or a bear came in and took one of his sheep, he didn't stay in the pen. Instead, he went AFTER the sheep. He had to take action. No matter how scary, no matter how hopeless, no matter how uncomfortable the situation was, he did it. If he had stayed in the sheep pen, he never would have reached the potential that God created him to reach. It turns out that God was testing and preparing David for his battle with Goliath.
What if David had the same mindset that we do sometimes? What if he said "I can't go after that sheep. I'm not brave enough." or "I can't fight Goliath. That other guy over there is a much better warrior." If he had made those excuses, he would have been passing up his opportunity to fulfill his purpose. He would have been wasting the gift that God prepared for him.
For David, it was leaving the sheep pen. For me, it was rising above my depression and starting over. It was going out of my comfort zone to spend time with new people. It was trusting that I had what it takes to do nursing school. It was accepting my weaknesses and discovering my strengths. It was finally learning to love myself. It was having the courage to get help.
If I hadn't "stepped out of the pen", I would never know what kind of things God has planned for me. I have so many dreams for my future as a nurse, and the only way I can accomplish them is to take Jesus by the hand and go for it! I can't sit around and pray that things come my way. I can't wake up one morning and be a nurse. In order to be the person Jesus created me to be, I have to live the way Jesus created me to live. I have to take the steps He has paved for me.
Do you feel like you have greater potential? You won't reach it unless you step out from where you are. Ask God what He wants you to do and then do it! It starts with a decision to take action.
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