Untapped

“And provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:3 NIV

It’s Lenten season. It occurred to me that Jesus was the Messiah, even as a babe, long before his earthly ministry began. He didn’t suddenly become the Christ at thirty years of age. Similarly, Joseph the dreamer was sold into slavery, then falsely accused and sat in prison right up until he became second in command over all the land of Egypt. David was anointed king as a young man, but he lived as a fugitive and encountered many trials and indignities before he actually sat in that office some ten plus years later. Abraham was named father of many nations but he was one hundred years old before he had a child with his wife, Sarah. The kernel of who you are, once planted by God, becomes imbed in your DNA and cannot be erased. A delay in the realization of that potential doesn’t mean it can be denied.

Your low beginnings or present humble station in life are not an indicator or foreshadow of God’s plan for your life. Your promise of greatness lives within you. You take it with you wherever you go, no matter your circumstance. Greatness rides with you. It abides in you. It is active in you all along. Sometimes God allows us to see flashes of its brilliance and we think, “YES! My time has come!” But too often, we soon afterwards find ourselves in situations that hamper our ability to take off. We suffer setbacks. I am convinced that this changes NOTHING. A diamond ring dropped in the mud is still a diamond ring. You are a star wherever you are. Whatever’s going on in your life does not change that. Wherever you find yourself in your life’s journey cannot change that. And one day, you will walk into the fullness of your calling, in all its glory, your destiny fulfilled. An acorn planted by the Lord, fully grown into the mighty oak tree that God planned you to be from before you were even born, for the display of His splendor.

For the aforementioned heroes of the Bible, at the end of their life it was said that they died, full of old age, surrounded by their loved ones, and able to recount the promises of God. With their final breath, they were able to testify that God did just what he said he would do. For me, that would be the real test. The proof in the pudding. Where the rubber meets the road. Looking back, what would be my testimony? When I get to the end of my life, what would I be able to say? It’s the end of a thing that declares it. And God proclaims the end from the beginning. He’s already got your happy ending planned out. I believe that. It other words, it ain’t over til that fat lady sings! Things may seem dismal at times. The end may appear to be near. Doom may be at hand. To paraphrase Jesus when he was asked about signs concerning the end of the world, “see that you don’t be troubled, for the end is not near.” This is also true of our lives – as bad as it may look, the end is not here. This is why we must press; this is why we must strive to achieve our goals and get beyond how it looks right now. We are all born full of potential that we have yet to reach, and that is no lie.

Be blessed,

Loria