Possibilities
Stories
THE WONDER OF WORDS: BOOK 2
ONE-HUNDRED MORE WORDS AND PHRASES SHAPING HOW CHRISTIANS THINK AND LIVE
"You are a promise, you are a possibility," sang the children in our Vacation Church School last summer. However, three factors give us a problem in accepting such good news about ourselves. First, we have bad memories of our past performances. Because of failures, guilt, and wrong choices, we find the good news about our possibilities too good to to be true. Second, we see the negatives in our present situation. As our health declines, our age advances, and our energies run down, we don't feel full of promise. Third, the fear of failure, in our future prospects, paralyzes our initiative. This fear makes us play it safe so we can avoid losing our self-esteem.
As you face tomorrow, consider the theological reasons why you can believe in your possibilities. First, God as Creator has filled every created thing with possibilities. Years ago, a box was found in Palestine. In that box were seeds twenty centuries old. When planted, those seeds showed they were still filled with the potential to become plants. The acorn is a potential oak tree. The oak tree is a potential church pew. Second, God as Liberator has a well-documented record of finding great possibilities in unlikely places. In a band of Hebrew slaves shut up in Egypt, God saw the potential of a great nation, Israel, which would be his chosen instrument for educating mankind about himself. In weak, undependable Simon bar Jonah, the God-man, Jesus Christ, saw the possibilities of a man of faith whom he nicknamed "Rocky" (Peter). On such men of faith is the church built! In a novel by Lloyd Douglas, Jesus asked Zacchaeus, "What did you see that made you desire this peace?" Zacchaeus replied, "Good Master, I saw - mirrored in your eyes - the face of the Zacchaeus I could become." In Christ's eyes, you will see the person you can become.
As you face tomorrow, consider the theological reasons why you can believe in your possibilities. First, God as Creator has filled every created thing with possibilities. Years ago, a box was found in Palestine. In that box were seeds twenty centuries old. When planted, those seeds showed they were still filled with the potential to become plants. The acorn is a potential oak tree. The oak tree is a potential church pew. Second, God as Liberator has a well-documented record of finding great possibilities in unlikely places. In a band of Hebrew slaves shut up in Egypt, God saw the potential of a great nation, Israel, which would be his chosen instrument for educating mankind about himself. In weak, undependable Simon bar Jonah, the God-man, Jesus Christ, saw the possibilities of a man of faith whom he nicknamed "Rocky" (Peter). On such men of faith is the church built! In a novel by Lloyd Douglas, Jesus asked Zacchaeus, "What did you see that made you desire this peace?" Zacchaeus replied, "Good Master, I saw - mirrored in your eyes - the face of the Zacchaeus I could become." In Christ's eyes, you will see the person you can become.
