Potent in the Ordinary
Pencils don’t have fancy brand names like pens, nor are they used for signing trade agreements or big contracts. Yet, unlike pens, they are more practical for writing on different ordinary surfaces and can be used at all writing angles. So what does the humble pencil tell us about ourselves? That we are more like ordinary pencils than we are like luxury pens. That our lives have the God-created potential for making practical differences in everyday situations, and that our potential is not ranked by the world’s standard of importance.
However, many of us have remained too long in the latent state of potential. Rather than scripts that are read, lyrics that become songs, art that is appreciated, we remain pencils in the drawer.
Zoom in on the word ‘potential’: what separates it from ‘potent’ are the letters ‘i’, ‘a’, and ‘l’. To move from a state of potential to potency, there are three things to consider:
[I] Not I but the Holy Spirit
We may not always wake up feeling like the sharpest pencil in the cup, but we will never know how we can make God real to others if we habitually ignore the Holy Spirit’s prompting to simple acts of connecting with another human being.
Often, we find ourselves holding back for several reasons. We’re afraid of overstepping, of being wrong, being rejected or that our gestures will go unnoticed. Sometimes, we even fear that God will make us do something outrageous when He simply wants us to work with what we’ve got with great courage and imagination. Look at the two biblical scenarios below:
In 2 Kings 5:1-5, when the servant girl spoke up, we can imagine that she was simply moved by her mistress’ private distress over her husband’s skin condition, and her simple mention of a healing prophet moved a king and an army commander to action that eventually healed the army commander.
In another instance, a disciple named Philip, ‘known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom’, got involved in daily food distribution to widows so they would not be neglected (Acts 6:1-5). This ordinary guy would later risk his life to preach to crowds in Samaria where many were healed, set free from evil spirits, and received the breaks they needed (Acts 8:5-8). He simply did the one thing he could do: he showed up where he was needed.
The Holy Spirit’s power awakens us to a new sensibility towards the people He puts in our lives in different situations.
Think of how after a year of pandemic, you’re grateful that you still have your job but more people around you are losing theirs. Or of your household’s ability to manage the demands of family, children’s home-based-learning and remote work, and the mental toll that the same demands must have on single-parent households. Or of the increasing number of people who have lost more than one loved ones.
Our lives extend beyond our own existence when we let the Holy Spirit’s worldview become ours.
(A) Not my abilities but the anointing of the Holy Spirit
More than often, we confuse our availability with our abilities. We misread social norms and mores as biblical standards. And we let our social standing determine the impact we can make in someone’s life. When moved by God’s compassion for others, we reflexively think that we’re not good in this or that, or that some things are just taboo and we should avoid embarrassing others, or that we’re just not the ‘right kind of person’ to be involved.
Notice that the servant girl in Naaman’s household didn’t have any military intelligence that could possibly impress him but she spoke of what she knew and she became biblical legend for doing so! And her name wasn’t even mentioned anywhere because she could be anyone of us. Who was she to give advice to people who could afford any medical care they wanted? Isn’t prophetic healing only for those who have no access to professional medical care? Was it preposterous to suggest a cross-border trip to see a prophet, and a little presumptuous to say that he would heal Naaman of his leprosy? And to top off her list of social faux pas, she had no track record to boast of!
But this is exactly how God works through us: Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
(L) Let go and let God
Our past experiences can eclipse our God-given instincts and turn us into retreating turtles.
Our intellect can blind our sensing of emotional cues from others.
Our personalities can sometimes get in the way of our effectiveness in relationships, even with family members.
All these can limit our ability to respond when the Holy Spirit prompts us to action. They can make us blunt and slow to perceive another person’s misery, distress and pain, but the Holy Spirit is not insensitive to anyone’s needs. We may not see these realities on social media, or hear them mentioned as prayer requests, but the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) who is rich in love and compassionate towards all God has made (Psalm 145:8-9) is able to expand our own capacity for compassion and connection.
The thing is: we need to let go of the fixation on our deficits and be instruments in God’s Hand so He can fill in the gaps created by our own inadequacies. He is a miracle working God who works best with our deficiencies.
Whatever the Holy Spirit puts on your heart to do, don’t hesitate to do it; whether it is to encourage someone, support someone, or help someone have a deeper relationship with God. You may spend some time to think about how to create touch points that best deliver it, but don’t delay it or deny that person the God-inspired human touch. God is too merciful to make you sing or bake for someone if that is not your forte, but you can imagine listening to a song together and let it minister to you both, or ordering pastries from the bakery!
To help us overcome unproductive fixations on our imperfections, here’s a word of comfort that the apostle Paul received from God, ‘“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.’ (2 Corinthians 12:9).
We are called to great exploits with God as a lifestyle, and not as occasional projects. A potent life is one that lets the power of the Holy Spirit dominate our will-power, His anointing to embolden us to act beyond our natural abilities, and His grace to work through our imperfect human efforts for outcomes that defy all-natural thinking.
Taking steps to minimize the effects of ‘I’, ‘A’, and ‘L’ in our lives is not just a matter of mindfulness but deliberate acts that will produce visible changes in our lives and our relationships.
“Potential is a glimpse of what could be, yet there must be a shift from where we have potential to where we are potent.”
