… there is nothing I lack. Psalm 23:1

Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Mason has been cast as Lord Farquaad in his upcoming school play, Shrek The Musical. I keep telling him how excited I am to see it because I know he’s going to be amazing. Each time I say that, he deflects, and says something self-deprecating.

It kills me to hear him doubt he’s capable of something I know he was born to do. This isn’t just a proud-mama thing where I’m bragging about his abilities. I’m just stating a true and complete fact: The kid is as creative as the day is long, and he transforms when he’s performing.

Sadly, though, I know far too many people who react like Mason does.

There seems to be this notion that we can only behave one of two ways: Either flaunt our talent and be labeled as cocky, or play overly humble and small, to the point of smothering the gifts we’ve been given. Neither way is serving the world, nor God.

I recently heard a pastor talk about how we’re born fully equipped to thrive and glorify Him. He went on to talk about infants. We readily accept the fact that babies are born with everything they need to not only grow one set of teeth, but too push out the first set to grow the second. If you think about that for a minute, that process is utterly amazing!

Yet, we doubt we’ve been born with all we need to blaze our own path of glory! His point was, like our teeth, the process to bring our talents to fruition is there – already programmed inside of us. We just need to stay in tune with God. Through time in His presence, and in His perfect timing, we’ll learn how to unlock our potential and grow into the gifts we’ve been blessed with.

The “blue flame” concept further confirms this. It’s the phenomenon whereby an intense energy gets generated inside us when we discover what we’ve been born to do. Instead of becoming drained from all the hard work involved in fulfilling our dream, we end up more energized with every step we take.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that every one of us is meant to change the world on a large scale. But we should never underestimate the huge ripple effect our small actions of love can make in our own little corner of the world.

No matter the size of our gifts, when we’re living from the energy that’s generated in our soul, we light up the world in a way that isn’t self-serving, nor cocky. Ultimately, we end up shining a bright light in the world, and on Him.

Questions for Reflection:

     * Do I believe that I already possess everything I need to light up the world?

     * Do I spend enough time with God to learn how to unlock my potential for His glory?