  I have potential. Do you have potential? I've heard it all my life. It's like the word describes everything I do. It isn't really a good word. It means that you are stuck in this perpetual state of almost.
You almost make the team. You almost get the question right. You almost represent the perfect example to your kids. You are almost the best friend. I really don't like being full of potential. It has plagued me my whole life.
The message seems to be that I'm not quite what God had intended. But whose message is it that I'm hearing? Is it my message? Is it the message that my family wants to send or my collegues are sending me? Is the message even worth listening to? Is the message even true?
Is the message from God? What is the message that you are telling yourself? Do you recognize that it is the same everytime that you find yourself wondering why you are here? It is interesting that I've just asked so many questions! But I do not know how else to express the importance of understanding what is really going on in your life. We spend so much time reacting, living, doing.
We spend little time conciously making choices about what message to listen to and what convictions to form. We spend too much time contemplating our selves. Do you get that? Do you get that looking inside yourself does not solve the problem of what is going on? We are surrounded by the gurus that say do it yourself. That is the message we are feeding our pyches.
The message is being spewed out by the media, the gurus, the leaders, pop culture, in music, and maybe even your neighbor. I grew up in a culture that said “You are woman, do whatever you want.” I listened. And I did. If I - someone from a Christian home, pastor for a father, a wonderful mother, and an extended family that cared about me - still listened to the wrong message, then so will some of our children. Even though _____.... you fill in the blank. I no longer believe that do whatever you want, is the right message.
It is much more complicated than that. I’ve noticed something. People are searching. No, I’m serious. I’m sure you’ve heard that before, but really, they are. You Christians out there - Don’t you ever hear something on TV, the radio, in a song, or standing in line somewhere, and you just want to scream “JESUS CAN FIX THAT!” We all know it’s not that simple.
If you’re talking with a friend and they have a problem, a pat answer of “Jesus can fix that” can pretty much end the conversation. Even those of us that can call ourselves followers of Christ are not sold on the “Jesus can fix that” solution. We have counselors, therapists, pastors, doctors, and many other professionals that get us through all the bad decisions we make, that create the messes we call our lives. Christians often forget to look to Jesus first. It is important for Christians to counter the messages of our lives with the message of the Gospel. We can not do that if we do not understand the message that is being sent out.
I already said that people are searching. Well, I think that we can be more specific and say that women are searching. Women have built up themselves to be so strong, capable, controlling, and powerful yet do not recognize their own reflection. Liberation worked in America. If you are of the belief that it did not, look around a little more carefully. We are working, we are leaders, we are making money, we are doing whatever we want.
We have a choice. It is true that we don’t hold all the top positions in companies. Women have not yet been the President or the Prime Minister. There are countries in our world that still treat women poorly at best. I’m not denying the facts. I’m simply stating the truth for North American women.
We should count ourselves blessed. The truth is women have been fed a lie. If you don’t fight for what you want, demand things to be better, and find strong men unacceptable, then you are seen as backwards. The women’s movement has set loose the emergence of gay culture. A gay man is more acceptable because he wants little to do with a woman besides be her friend. Whoa!!
OOOh! What did I just say? Now that is truly unacceptable. I suppose I need to back that up. I'll just move on. We have all been fed a lie.
The message that I got that I am full of potential and stuck in a state of almost, is not true. The solution apparently seems to be, that I can turn that around by pushing my way forward through self reliance. I believe that is a lie. Who is telling me this lie? Wait, lets recap. We are first fed a lie then fed another lie to solve the first lie.
Self reliance is very powerful. It is very addictive and works most of the time. So if the message is to be self reliant, to be who you are, to do whatever you want - where did the negative message come from? If we are to be self reliant and look inside ourselves to pull ourselves up out of the muck, where did the first message - the negative one about ourselves - come from? Do you realize that you have a negative message? We all carry with us a message about who we are that plagues us our whole lives.
We listen to it every now and then. Sometimes more than we want to or should. So it would seem that the answer is to be self reliant. It would seem that the solution to this wrong message is to build your self up. Improve your mind and body. Find spiritual fulfillment within yourself and push back the negative message.
Why can't we do it? Sure you can look at those in high profile and believe that the road to self reliance works. People that buy into it are wealthy, good looking, happy. So why do I find it lacking? Why do you find it lacking? What is missing in this mind set? 
