The Pastor’s Blog – POTENTIAL

Can you see the potential in this picture?

The Tiger Lilies are almost ready to open and when they do, what a wonderful display. The beautiful orange flowers will grace our yard for several days, making a beautiful welcome to anyone who would come visit. Yet today, the flowers have not opened. They have not reached their full potential yet.

So should I pull them out, and put them in my recycle bin?

At this point you are likely thinking, “This guy is nuts!” or “His wife will kill him!” To think of destroying a plant that is just about to blossom simply because I cannot wait a day or two for the flowers to open is ludicrous!

Yet how many times do we do this with people? We want them to behave a certain way, respond in a particular manner, achieve certain things and when they do not, we all but cast them aside. We can be so impatient with each other, forgetting that if we wait just a little longer, if we believe in that person and encourage them on, they will soon blossom.

In Luke 19 Jesus encounters a man named Zacchaeus. He is a tax collector, which leads us to assume he was notorious for cheating people. That is how he got rich. Yet Zacchaeus is curious about Jesus, and because he is a short man, he climbs a tree to see over the crowds that had gathered around Jesus. Jesus spots Zacchaeus and invites himself over for a meal. Zacchaeus accepts, and by the end of the evening, he is a transformed man.

When Jesus met him, Zacchaeus was full of potential, as every person is. Few saw it, for they only saw his greed and dishonesty. Jesus, on the other hand, saw the potential in this man. A day with Jesus and the good that was buried in this tax collector was released, and he was a transformed man. He restored any money he had taken through cheating people, and gave to help others. We could say his life blossomed after meeting Jesus.

Jesus always brings the best out of us, seeing our potential and helping us to become our best selves. Go ahead and try Him!

– Pastor Gary

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