Reaching our God-given potential

by Tory Ross, Captain –

I was 17 when I took my first job, working as a clerk typist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in St. Paul, Minn. Like most teens receiving a salary for the first time, I was excited about the possibilities and challenges ahead of me.

Eventually, though, I realized that proving myself to my superiors was much easier than I had imagined. All I had to do was complete my task, show up for work every day and be willing to do the mundane duties assigned to me. I received a lot of outstanding performance ratings—just for doing my job. At the time, I didn’t realize that I was developing an attitude of “complacency.” I did what I needed to do, did it well and filled the rest of the hours talking with friends or associates. Initially a challenge, my job had been reduced to a mindless routine that simply provided me with a paycheck.

After a while, I left that job and moved on to the next challenge, but found myself in the same situation—becoming bored and restless, with idle time on my hands. Instead of challenging myself to move beyond the status quo, I moved from one job to the next, never finding the fulfillment that I was seeking. School eventually became a challenge for me, but again I found myself with a lack of fulfillment when the challenge passed.

As I grew in my faith, I realized that God designed each of us for a specific purpose—a plan and a reason. I began to understand that God wants to fulfill his purpose in our lives, but sometimes we get in his way! Our fears, our doubts and our inability to trust him in areas outside of our comfort zone keep many of us from going beyond the status quo.

Today, I am realizing more and more that “yes,” God does have a plan for all of our lives—one that will bring him ultimate glory and us ultimate peace. The only way we can truly walk in God’s will for our lives, however, is if we are bold enough, strong enough, and courageous enough to go beyond our comfort zones into areas that we never imagined, dreamed or hoped for.

Reaching our God-given potential and bringing God ultimate glory can only be done through his strength. We can reach this potential, and rise out of our comfort zone, through Christ Jesus who strengthens us all.