What are you capable of? Questions like this make us
nervous and a bit uncomfortable. Given
the history of humanity, in the negative sense we all know that apart from the
sustaining grace of God man is capable of almost any sin. However, from the
positive that same grace empowers us to exceed all of our expectations of
greatness. Parker Palmer, a Quaker and author writes “Everything in the
universe has a nature, which means limits as well as potential.” The problem is most of us find it easy to
define our limits but difficult to discover our potential. That’s why we need God’s
assistance. John Ortberg says, “One of the competencies of artistry and
craftsmanship is knowing how to discern the nature of the material you are
working with. Great sculptors spend much
time studying a piece of marble before they ever take a chisel to it; they
describe what they do not so much as imposing a shape on the marble as in
releasing what it has always contained.
Skilled potters know that as they knead and press clay, it presses back,
telling them what it can and cannot become.”
He goes on to say amateurs lack this discernment, seeing every lump of
clay as a potential ashtray. In contrast, the consolation for Christians is
held in the truth that God knows what that clay is really destined for. Given
the chance and the time God will reveal to each of us what we are really
capable of.
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