Given the opportunity to speak to a large audience of young adults from all sorts of career backgrounds during a weekly meeting, one of our team members on our leadership team declined the opportunity on grounds of “unpreparedness”, though I felt like it was more of "butterflies". As a leader, this was one of those fine moments when you need to discern whether someone is not ready or whether they are nervous and they require a push in order to graduate into their next level. I chose the latter! Using my judgment on the situation I insisted that they carry on and speak to the congregation despite what their reasons. To my surprise they still declined and offered to leave the meeting immediately, which they did!
I went up to prep another one of our speakers and to my great delight I saw my team member walk back into the room and I invited them to speak instantly. They shared an incredible life story that inspired many who were in the room that afternoon, bringing hope to others in the room that they too can share their life story to encourage others!
While this was happening I began to ask myself some questions that I can perhaps extend to you today. (Remember the quality of your life depends on the quality of the questions you Ask and those you can answer) What opportunities for growth have you allowed to pass you by because you felt that you were “not ready”? How many people are still uninspired today, without a leader, unemployed or even unsaved today because you have not yet stepped out and into your rightful place? Perhaps what you call “not ready” is FEAR. Fear of the risks involved in stepping out, fear of possible failure along the way, fear of confrontation or being wrong, fear of disapproval or unacceptance, fear of the discomfort of stepping out, or even fear of the cost!
Your breakthrough is in your place of discomfort! Conquering only takes place away from home, away from your familiar environment. This pattern is seen through significant bible characters who God told to “GO” away from their familiar/home environment in order to fulfill their divine assignment. Abraham was told to leave his home and family, Paul met His Master enroute to a foreign land and Jesus did his ministry away from his home town Nazareth. Today you need to review areas that you are avoiding due to the discomfort involved. Perhaps that’s where you breakthrough is.
When I was young I would go up Guava trees to get the fruit! Amongst my friends, only those that went closest to the end of the branches where it was unstable and where you felt like you were about to fall got the fruit! There was no fruit on the trunk where it was solid and strong. Instead, the fruit is at the end of the branches. Stop existing and start living: Go get your fruit!
With God All Things Are Possible, You can do All Things!
(For extra reading you can visit http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0011a.shtml, on Chuck Yeager, an American Pilot who was the first to cross the sound barrier in 1947, and paved the way for many others)
