Mark 6:3 “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

People are experts at putting people in boxes. Not only do they put each other in boxes, they put themselves in boxes. They let the past be the final arbiter of what the present is and what the future is going to be. On top of that, often enough, that’s based on a false interpretation of the past! They had seen Jesus as a carpenter, a local boy, without recognizing that He was also the sinless Son of God. He was indeed a carpenter and a local boy, but they weren’t able or willing to see Him as more than that. We do the same thing to ourselves and others. It is tragic to watch adults, and parents in particular, destroy the dreams of children by denying that they have that potential. Parents are generally proud of their children’s accomplishments, but all too often they project, to the child and to others, that such accomplishments are highly unlikely. That teaches the children, who grow up to be adults, not to expect much of themselves. God has placed amazing potential in every one of His children, but only a small percentage of that is ever realized, because of our failure to recognize potential in ourselves and others.

I was incredibly blessed to be raised by parents who never denied potential, but encouraged me to try my hand at whatever interested me and do my best at it. That caused me to gain a wide spectrum of abilities that is often amazing to other people. A few years ago I attended a conference where Wayne Cordeiro was the speaker. His theme was being a “Dream Releaser,” and I still have some very simple notes I took then.
Train your eyes to see potential. Loving people makes you a nice guy. Loving their potential makes you a shepherd and mentor. God will not be impressed by how great I become as by how many people become great because of me.
My notes continue: Include these people in my life. A dream releaser includes people in his life. Celebrate their dreams.
I wish I could say I have done well at that since I took those notes, but that would not be honest. I too tend to put people in boxes! However, just because I haven’t done well at this in the past doesn’t mean that I can’t, by the grace of God, do well at it in the future!

Father, thank You for this reminder this morning, and thank You that those notes were right at hand. This fits in perfectly with the message You’ve given me for tomorrow, but the theme is more than I can handle in the one message. Guide me not only in when and how to share it, but especially in how to put it into practice. Lord, You have placed amazing potential in this church. Help me be an enabler, an equipper, a releaser, so that each member of the body may recognize and rejoice in all that You have prepared for them to be and do, for building up the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!