Realising Potential

A few years ago I was asked to preach at a church.  In the course of my preparation I developed something called Fit for Function based on aspects of 1 Corinthians and Ephesians and the analogy of the church as the body with each part put in its place so that as we all grow to maturity we’ll be just like Christ.

These years later I look at my youngest daughter scampering around the house able to speak sentences and get words horribly wrong, and also consider the older two girls and their educational development in school and out.

I look at my wife and where she is at in terms of her vocational development. Finally I take a peak at where I’m at in my own spiritual journey and it occurs to me that if we’re not careful … if I’m not careful … it can be easy to get embroiled in a system and routine where the outcomes don’t match those for God.

For example, with the best will in the world, the education system desires to produce capable contributors to the local and national economy.  The skills they develop and the channels they are put through are designed solely for that purpose.  Thus if they have other aspirations and they do not fit the educational framework they are likely to be chewed up in it and thrown out to find what is considered a ‘dead end’ job.

My parents were of the generation desperate to see their children make significant progression beyond their economic status.  Their hope was for their children to get the best education possible to get the best jobs possible to get the best pay possible to live out the most comfortable lives possible.  These sentiments are understandable when you consider the struggle they underwent to be established in a foreign country, to maximise the opportunities available in a socially more advanced society and to leave a positive legacy behind them.

The only issue with the sentiment is that it neglects what a person can be.  It negates what it is to realise someone’s potential.  There’s more to a person than just being able to join an industry …

To be continued …

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd