You Are a Promise!

You Are a Promise!

In 1977, Bill & Gloria Gaither wrote a song for kids entitled “I Am A Promise.” Our children were very young at that time, but this was one of the first songs they learned in Sunday School. Their dad was the Pastor, and their mom was the Sunday School Director (and a music teacher!), so needless to say, the children in that church learned lots and lots of music! We even did this as part of a musical production at Kids’ Camp one summer!

My mind was working on the idea of potential this afternoon, and I decided to begin by including the lyrics of the second verse of that little song:

You are a promise
You are a possibility.
You are a promise with a capital “P”.
You are a great big bundle of potentiality.
And if you listen,
You’ll hear God’s voice.
And if you’re trying,
He’ll help you make the right choices.
You’re a promise to be
Anything God wants you to be!

What an amazing message to get into the hearts and minds of young children….the possibility of becoming anything that God has in mind for them to be! But, what if it’s also an amazing message to get into the hearts and minds of widows who are wondering what life now holds for them?

Everything God creates carries within it a seed for growth…potential to change, potential to expand, potential to multiply. Jesus speaks in the Gospels about the Kingdom of Heaven being very much like a tiny mustard seed that is cast to the ground, having no particular visible value, but then it grows into an enormous tree where the birds come and build their nests. Acorns grow into huge oak trees. Little puppies grow into wonderful companion dogs. Human babies arrive in this life as compact, tiny packages of unthinkable potential. Do you imagine that Abraham Lincoln’s mother looked into his tiny face and saw a man who would change the course of history and the lives of thousands of people?

What does the scripture say about potential and possibilities? Let’s take a look:

• Luke 1:37 – “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
• Matthew 19:26 – “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
• Jeremiah 32:17 – “Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.”
• Mark 10:27 – “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

When we lose a spouse, there are two kinds of lenses through which we can see life. The first is to look back and focus on all that we have lost. Not only the primary loss of a spouse, but all the secondary losses that may come as a result of that. One of the hardest losses to deal with is loss of purpose. Most of us walk through a time of not knowing why we’re still here. The way ahead seems unclear, and we’re often overwhelmed by questions and confusion, seemingly having no direction.

The second perspective is to consider that this may be like starting life all over again. Ahead of us, there is a wide open field of endless possibilities. We can look at this season as a starting gate for something entirely new and different. This can be a time to revisit dreams that may have just been waiting for opportunity!

This second perspective is what “Refocusing” is all about! Just like looking through a kaleidoscope, one beautiful design disappears when we turn the tube slightly – but another beautiful design comes into view. Changing our focus is often like putting on a new pair of glasses! Suddenly what was a blur pulls itself into focus, and we can see the way ahead as we follow God’s prompting and begin to take those baby steps.

One of my favorite life verses is Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

We are His “work of art”; we are His poema (poetry). We are each one-of-a-kind, and God has laid out an entire one-of-a-kind set of good deeds that He intends for us to walk in. I like to call this His “preferred pathway” for me. As the little song said earlier, if I’m listening and trying, He’ll help me make the right choices that will keep me on that path.

Somehow in my limited thinking, I figured Dave and I would always walk the same path. My conscious mind did not acknowledge that our pathways may separate – that God’s preferred path for Dave might take a different direction than mine! As I’ve thought and prayed on this, I’ve come to understand that this simply means God has “good deeds” laid out for me that have yet to be accomplished here on earth!

What an amazing thought! And what a challenge to my heart! Entering this season of being a widow doesn’t mean the end of my life and purpose…only life as I knew it for 50 years! There is still purpose for me, because there remain many things that God still intends for me to accomplish.

What about you? Do you have things in your heart and mind that you would like to do in the time remaining for you? This is not the end of your life – it’s the beginning of a new season! You are a possibility with a capital “P”! God has things for you to do yet! So, let me encourage you to keep listening until you hear His voice, and keep trying to make the right choices. You’ll find yourself on His preferred pathway for you, and over the top of the next hill you’ll see before you those endless possibilities.

Remember: Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” …even when it seems impossible, His word is true!

Where will you go with Him as you walk out the season ahead of you? Your thoughts and comments are welcome here, or you can email me at sheryl@freshhope.us