Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This episode talks about my belief that we were all created to live extraordinary lives and that God wants to help us live out our deepest desires. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Are You Living Up To Your Potential?
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
The Lord has planned out your life. Before you were even formed, He had a plan for your life. Isn’t that crazy to think about? His plans for your life are good plans. He tells us directly, we don’t even have to guess, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” If we know that God has plans for us to prosper, then why do we sometimes run away from these plans? God’s plans are to give us hope and a future, so why do we question these plans? Why is it so hard for us to believe that God has plans for us?
I have been doing a lot of personal development, and I am in a Christian mentoring group called Big Life Mentoring. In all of the personal development books, as well as the mentoring, they talk about how we have a God-given potential. They talk about how we were all created to live an exceptional life. God wants nothing but the best for us. Does this mean that we will never have challenges? Nope. It does mean that He will be with us in those challenges and He will use those challenges for our good, not for our harm. I have talked with numerous people over the last several years about my belief that God created us all to live a big life. It is usually met with some opposition. I have been told that some people were created for a big, amazing life, and some people were not. Some people were created to have an “ok” life. Where they just go about their day, and nothing special happens. They were not created to do great things.
I disagree with this. I do not think that God created any of us to just go through our days, day in and day out, just existing. I do not believe He wants that for any of us. I am also not saying that every person was created to be a movie star or make some huge impact on the whole world. I do think that we all have the same potential for doing great things with our lives. How we use that potential could look very different for everyone. Someone could use that potential to be a movie star, a priest, a mom, a lawyer, a doctor, anything you desire. I don’t think it’s the career you choose or the role you play that defines you. I think it is more about how you are showing up in that career/role.
You do not have to go on a mission trip to another country to change people’s lives. If you are a parent, you are impacting lives every day with your parenting. People are always watching you, and you could be changing lives in the grocery store when someone watches you handle a complaint respectfully. There are many ways that you could have a positive impact on the world. The opposite of this is true as well. If you are walking through life angry and taking it out on all that you see, this will also be observed by others and could be changing lives, but not for the better. If that is you, that is not the life that God has planned for you.
I wonder sometimes how many of us are actually living up to our potential. Are you living up to the potential that God has placed within you? A lot of people that I talk to are settling for mediocrity. They are not truly happy with their life, and they think that is just how life is. They don’t seek to change anything because they don’t feel they deserve more, or maybe they don’t think there is anything better out there, or perhaps they don’t feel they’re capable of having more. I want to tell you right now that if you are unhappy with where you are in life, there is more. God has more planned for you. Where you are now does not have to be a final destination. It could be a resting place until you are ready for the more that God has planned for you.
What is it that you really want to do? What is it that makes your heart light up when you talk about it? This could be something big, like start a non-profit, write a book, change careers, or it could also be as simple as seeing my grandkids more, being in nature, going to daily mass, or spending more time in prayer. Whatever it is deep inside that you’re longing for, go get it. God has given you the potential to achieve all your dreams. Are you living up to your potential? Is there more you could be doing?
You may be listening to this and thinking that I am wrong, that not everyone was made for an extraordinary life. That you were made for an ordinary life and nothing more. I would argue that your outlook might be the difference between an ordinary life and an extraordinary life. Two people may have very similar lives, as far as marriage, kids, career, income, etc. Yet one may be living an extraordinary life, and one may be living an ordinary life. What is the difference? The one living an extraordinary life has a positive outlook on their life. They are on the lookout for the miracles that occur every day and are willing to acknowledge them. They are also looking for ways that they can excel in the roles that they have. They are looking for opportunities to improve the life they have. The one living an ordinary life is on the lookout for all the ways his/her life is ordinary, and so that is all they see. They do not see opportunities to improve their life and assume that what they have is the best it is going to get.
God wants amazing things for you and your family. It is not too late. You are not too young. You are not too old. You have not been out of the game too long. You are not too inexperienced. You are strong enough. You are smart enough. You have so much potential. That thing that you have always wanted to do, it is not too late. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” You can do all things through Christ. Do that thing, that thing you have been putting off, that thing that you have been too scared to do, that thing that you are convinced you can’t do. Why do you think you have that desire deep inside of you? Who do you think put that desire there? And if God put that desire there, don’t you think he will equip you with all you need to achieve it? Are you living up to your potential?
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless everyone listening to this episode today. Lord Jesus, we ask that you help us live up to our potential. We thank you for putting these desires in our hearts and for equipping us to achieve them. Lord, we ask that you give us the motivation and strength we need to live the life you want us to live. Lord, if we are not living the life you want us to live or if we're not living up to our potential, we ask that you shine a light on this and convict our hearts on what you want us to do. Lord, we want all that you have to offer, and we willingly accept it. You are amazing, Lord, and we are so very thankful for all that you do. We love you very much and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. Have a blessed day!