Limitations and Intentions

A bird is not defined by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions that I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image.

From The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

Do you limit the people around you? Have you given up on coworkers that seem set in their ways? Or worse, do you limit yourself? Have you stopped reaching for anything past your easy reach?

I have discovered a lot about myself over the last few years. Mostly, I’ve seen that I am capable of much more than I’d given myself credit for. But even with the knowledge that I have been short-changing myself, I still limit myself and those around me.

At what point in our lives do we start imagining limitations instead of possibilities? When did we choose to settle for a life of sustainability instead of divine purpose and abundant satisfaction and joy?

In this time of Christmas, I am reminded that each of us was created in God’s image. And by accepting a life of mediocrity, we limit not only ourselves, but God’s intentions for our lives.

Regardless of your personal faith, I bet at some point while you were a baby, someone looked at you and thought about the full life of potential in the little squirming bundle that was you. Your whole life was ahead of you, and anything was possible.

What if we still looked at each other that way? What potential would we uncover just by believing in someone? Or by believing in ourselves? What would you say, “yes” to if you recognized that your life was still in front of you and that anything were possible?