Accentuate the Positive

Genesis 44:1, 2: “And he commanded the steward of his house, saying fill the men’s sacks with grain, as much as they can carry, and put each in the mouth of his sack. Also, put my cup, the silver in the mouth of the sack”.

Inside each of us lies a storehouse of potential, an inherent ability and capacity for growth and development. God will take ordinary people, doing ordinary jobs, and use them to make an extraordinary difference.  I believe God wants to maximize His plan in our lives.

Most of us are hindered in our growth by our perception and attitudes. Here are a couple of examples of famous people who had hidden potential: Winston Churchill – He seemed so dull as  a youth, his father thought he’d never be able to earn a living; Albert Einstein – His parents feared he was so dull, and he performed so sadly in school, that his teacher told him to drop out! How many of you have been told that you’ll never amount to anything and did not receive encouragement? Or, that you would not succeed or do well in this lifetime?

The opinions of oneself go back to our childhood experiences, education, personal failures and/or successes. This may be a contributing factor why some suffer a type of dwarfing – a perception to where we do not see ourselves as God sees us. The good news is, we are more than what we think we are! We have more than what we think we have! We can do more than what we think we can!

Metaphorically, many of us are carrying around a sack which we think is filled with only grain, but actually, it’s full of riches such as the silver cups. We are deceived into thinking there’s nothing of real value in our sack. That we’re just toting an old sack of life around. And, yet within the sack there has been placed a cup of redeeming love and power. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:7).

The truth is that we often carry around what we think is just a mere ordinary sack of life. Yet, in our sack is God’s redeeming gifts; God’s hidden treasure of potential waiting to be discovered. His potential is  within you and He intends to maximize it, taking you from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18).

It’s interesting how like the bumblebee we are: unique, unassuming, and full of potential. According to recognized aeronautical tests, the bumblebee cannot fly because of the shape and weight of its body, in relation to its winged area.  Further studies discovered flying is not aeronautically possible. The only problem is, they never convinced the bumblebee.

The bee doesn’t know it can’t fly, so it flies anyway. Someone needs to get the attention of that bumblebee and tell it a few things. For example, “Your wings are too little and your body too fat; and little winged, fat bodied things cannot fly! Give it up!” Yet the bumblebee flies off saying,  “Just watch me!”

When you come to understand that God can make a little fat winged, fat bodied creature fly, you’re certainly able to walk in faith. You are filled with potential, possess the attitude, and fly. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).  It’s all in Jesus Christ!