We are walking in today: Why We Are To Maximize!!!
Witness able throughout the Bible: H3201 yakol--to be able, be able to gain or accomplish, be able to endure, be able to reach; to prevail, overcome, be victor; to have ability, have strength
Psalm 21:11 For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able H3201 to perform.
The Torah testifies...............
Exodus 18:23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able H3201 to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.
The prophets proclaim..................
Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able H3201 to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
The writings bear witness...........................
1 Kings 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able H3201 to judge this thy so great a people?
Why Maximize?
Nothing is more irritating, guilt-producing, and incriminating than an unfinished book; live to your last chapter!!
It was four o’clock on a cold, wet, winter morning. The snow had turned to mush, the wind blew with a vengeance, and the entire day seemed destined to be a source of depression. The small town appeared to be drugged as farmers, storekeepers, and street sweepers dragged themselves to their places of business. Suddenly, a young boy about 12 years of age appeared on the time-weathered, cobble-stoned sidewalk, skipping along as he clutched an old cello case. The smile and quick stride revealed his anxiety and anticipation of reaching his intended destination. The little boy’s name was Pablo Casals. His interest in and commitment to music at such an early age inspired even his teacher and proved to be the seed of destiny for one of the world’s greatest cellists. Through the years, his work, accomplishments, and achievements have been testimonies of greatness that stand worthy of emulation. Millions have enjoyed his live performances; history will always hold a place for his ineffable work. Yet, after a lifetime of distinguished achievements, Pablo Casals, at age 85, continued to rise early and spend most of the day practicing his cello. When he was asked during an interview why he continued to practice five hours a day, Casals replied, “Because I think I’m getting better.”
Great minds and souls, knowing always that what they have done, must never be confused with what they can yet do, never settle for great work. As a matter of fact, the concept of retirement is a great myth that traps the untapped potential buried in millions of talented, gifted, and valuable individuals. This Western concept has caused many great men and women to settle for the average and to succumb to the mediocrity of the socially accepted standards of success. Please note, however, that all individuals throughout history who have left their footprints in the sands of destiny were driven by a passion greater than the desire for personal comfort.
Pablo Casals reminds us of the monumental character of men and women such as Abraham, the biblical patriarch who at 70 years of age, childless and frustrated, married to a barren woman, and being, with his wife, beyond the biological age of conceiving a child, accepted the vision of a baby destined to change the world and believed it would come to pass. Abraham saw the fruit of his faith when he was 100 years old. Moses, at midlife, changed careers from a sheep-herding fugitive to a deliverer and national leader of over three million people; by age 120 he had guided them safely to the brink of their destiny. David, the great king of Israel, worked in the twilight of his many years of excellent leadership to make plans for the construction of a magnificent temple for worship, a temple that was eventually built by his son Solomon. Paul, the unrivaled apostle of the Church, after many years of tremendous hardship, wrote a brief description of his challenges in a letter to the church at Corinth. He stated: I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Hebrews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked (2 Corinthians 11:23b-27).
Then this great leader exclaims: “Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?” (2 Corinthians 11:29a) Retirement was never a concept in the minds of these world changers. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul, while spending his final days in prison under house arrest by order of the government of Rome, refused to retire or succumb to the environmental restrictions of age, imprisonment, and threats. Instead, he spent the rest of his days writing beautiful, life-changing, historical documents that constitute three-quarters of the New Testament.
Retirement is never a concept in the minds of world changers. Like Pablo Casals, the apostle Paul believed that no matter what he had done, accomplished, achieved, or experienced in the past, there was always so much more left within to develop, release, and express. They both believed that the enemy of better is best, and the tomb of the extraordinary is the ordinary.
Life Is But a Cup of Drink
Paul’s perception of life, and the responsibility of each of us to maximize life to its fullest potential, is expressed in his final letter to Timothy. To this favorite young student, he wrote:
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:6-7).
Paul likened his life to the ceremonial drink offering administered by the priest in the Old Testament rituals of the temple, in which the priest filled a cup with wine and ceremonially poured it out at intervals in the service until the cup was completely empty. Using this example, Paul gives a very effective illustration of how our lives should be lived.
Your life is like a cup of drink served to the world by our great Creator. The drink is the awesome, untapped, valuable, destiny-filled treasure, gifts, and talents of potential buried within you. Every minute, day, month, and year is an interval of opportunity provided by The Most High for the pouring out of another portion of yourself until you have exposed all His precious treasure that makes you unique. This is called maximum living. True success is not a project but a journey. The spirit of achievement is guided by the notion that success is an installment plan on which we make daily payments until we maximize ourselves. This success begins when we understand and accept that life is a process of growing and developing. Thus, life is meant to be a never-ending education, a journey of discovery and adventure, an exploration into our Most High-given potential for His glory.
The Maximum of Mediocrity
What does it mean to maximize? What is maximum? The word maximum may be defined as “supreme, greatest, highest, and ultimate.” It is synonymous with such concepts as pinnacle, preeminence, culmination, apex, peak, and summit. It implies the highest degree possible. Just a brief look at these concepts immediately convicts us of the many opportunities we have abused and forfeited because we have failed or have refused to give our all. This failure to do our best, to go beyond the expectations of others, to express ourselves fully, to live up to our true potential, to extend ourselves to the limit of our abilities, to give it all we have, to satisfy our own convictions, is called mediocrity. Simply put, mediocrity is living below our known, true potential. It is accepting the norm, pleasing the status quo, and doing what we can get by with. Therefore, to maximize is to express, expose, experience, and execute all the hidden, Most High-given abilities, talents, gifts, and potential through The Most High’s vision breathed in our souls to fulfill His purpose for our lives on earth.
Mediocrity is living below our known, true potential. How tragic that most of the nearly six billion people on this planet will settle for an average life limited only by their unwillingness to extend themselves to the summit of their own selves. Anything less than maximum is mediocrity. In other words, mediocrity may be defined as the region of our lives bounded on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by past thinking, and on the west by a lack of vision. Mediocrity is the spirit of the average, the anthem of the norm, and the heartbeat of the ordinary.
Mediocrity is so common and pervasive that those who are labeled as genius or exceptional have to do only a little extra. Remember, we were created to be above average, un-normal, and extraordinary. The Most High never intended for success in our lives to be measured by the opinion of others or the standards set by the society in which we live. In fact, the Scriptures instruct us not to “conform any longer to the pattern [standards] of this world, but [to] be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (Romans 12:2a). To maximize ourselves, we will find it necessary to declare independence from the world of the norm and to resist the gravity of the average in order to enjoy the outer limits of the new frontiers of our abilities. Why do so many of us settle for mediocrity? The answer is found in what I call the curse of comparison.
The Curse of Comparison
A few years ago I was invited to speak at a series of seminars in Germany for a period of three months. I lived with a wonderful family, who hosted my wife and me. During that time I was able to experience the rich heritage and culture of Deutschland. Among the many wonderful memories I still carry is a lesson I learned about the principle of maximization. It occurred during my first personal experience with Germany’s world-famous autobahn (expressway).
The autobahn is a network of roads, without speed restrictions, that crisscross Germany and many other neighboring countries. One day as we were traveling from a city in northern Germany to the south, my host asked if I would like to experience driving without a speed limitation. This felt like a dream come true, so after filling up with petrol, I took the driver’s seat and entered the autobahn. At first I was excited, thrilled, and anxious as I felt adrenaline rush through my entire body. The feeling of having the responsibility for power without externally imposed limits also brought other mixed emotions, including temporary confusion. All I had learned from my past concerning speed limits, fear of violation, and restrictions imposed by the law as I knew it began to wrestle with my newly found freedom. In essence, the possibility of using maximum power was challenged by my learned knowledge of limitation. I was trapped by the conditioning of my past and handicapped by the fear of unlimited possibilities.
As the pressure of my foot accelerated the engine, I glanced down at the speedometer and noted that it was registering 80 mph. Being an experienced driver for more than 25 years, I must confess that I had previously driven over 80 mph and had even flirted with 90 mph on occasion. Now, here I was with an open invitation to maximize the ability of the car. As other cars raced passed me with the ease of a low flying jet, I watched as my speed gauge tilted past 80 mph. My host smiled and asked, “What are you afraid of? We’re still standing still.”
Not wanting to feel intimidated by this opportunity, I further depressed the pedal and felt the thrill of a car traveling at 115 mph. Words cannot describe the awesome power and pride I felt controlling the speed and direction of such ability. I was beginning to feel proud of myself as we raced through the mountains and lush green foliage of the Black Forest. I was on top of the world. Who could catch me now? I had arrived. I was the king of the road, master of the highway.
This feeling of supremacy was further enhanced every time I passed another vehicle. In fact, I heard myself saying every time we passed another car, “Why don’t they pull over, park, and let a real driver through?” There I was. I had achieved the ultimate. I had set a record for myself. I had passed everyone else. I was the best. Suddenly, after approximately 20 minutes of driving, a Mercedes Benz cruised past me at 150 mph, seemingly coming out of where. Instantly, I felt like I was standing still. My host turned to me and said with a chuckle, “So you see, you are not traveling as fast as you can, but only as fast as you will.”
As his words lodged in my mind, I quickly began to understand the curse of comparison and the limitations of self-pride. From this experience, I learned three lessons that have become the foundations of my thinking concerning success and effective living.
1. The principle of capacity
The true capacity of a product is determined not by the user but the manufacturer. The automobile was built with the capacity to travel at 180 mph; therefore its full potential was determined by the manufacturer. The true potential of the car was not affected by my opinion of its ability or by my previous experience with driving.
Whether or not I used the full capacity of the car’s engine did not reduce its potential capacity. The same principle applies to your life. The Most High created you like He did everything else, with the capacity to fulfill your purpose. Therefore, your true capacity is not limited, reduced, or altered by the opinion of others or your previous experience. You are capable of attaining the total aptitude given to you by your Creator to fulfill His purpose for your life. Therefore, the key to maximizing your full potential is to discover the purpose or reason for your life and commit to its fulfillment at all cost. Your true capacity is not limited, reduced, or altered by the opinion of others or your previous experience.
The apostle Paul, in a letter to the church at Corinth, spoke of the hidden secret wisdom of our destiny that is invested in each of us by our Creator, The Most High.
No, we speak of The Most High’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that The Most High destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what The Most High has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:7-9).
The implication in verse 9 is that no human has the right or the ability to fully determine or measure the capacity of the potential you possess.
2. The principle of comparison.
One of the most significant mistakes humans make is comparison—the measuring of oneself against the standards, work, or accomplishments of another. This exercise is fruitless, demeaning, and personally tragic because it places our true potential at the mercy of others, giving them the right to determine and define our success. When I was driving on the autobahn, I was in a position of great success and achievement if I compared myself to the drivers I overtook. Yet, even though I was leading all the others, I was still not operating at my car’s full potential. The car’s true capacity was 180 mph, and I was traveling at 115 mph. When I compared my car’s performance to all the others, I was leading the pack; I could have been considered a success in their eyes because I was traveling faster than all of them. When I compared my car’s performance to its true capacity, however, I was not truly successful because I was traveling below the maximum speed built into the car by the manufacturer.
The lesson here is that true success is not measured by how much you have done or accomplished compared to what others have done or accomplished; true success is what you have done compared to what you could have done. In other words, living to the maximum is competing with yourself. It’s living up to your own true standards and capabilities. Success is satisfying your own personal passion and purpose in pursuit of personal excellence. In fact, you must always remember to perform for an audience of one, your Creator.
True success is what you have done compared to what you could have done. Consciously applying this principle to our lives can do much to free us from the immobilizing culture and environment of our society, which strives to control us through comparison. From the early years of childhood, we are compared to our sisters and brothers, the neighbor’s children, or some other person. This comparative spirit continues on into our teen and adult years, developing into a sophisticated dehumanizing state of competition. The result is traumatizing because we spend most of our lives trying to compete with others, comparing our achievements with those of our peers, and attempting to live up to their standards of acceptance. Instead of being ourselves, we become preoccupied with being who others dictate we should be.
If we succumb to this temptation, we will be reminded, just like the Mercedes Benz reminded me of my mediocrity, that there will always be some people whom we exceed and others who outpace us. If we compete with ourselves and not with others, then it does not matter who is behind us or ahead of us; our goal is to become and achieve all we are capable of being and doing, and this becomes the measure of our satisfaction.
The apostle Paul, the great leader of the Church, commented on this critical issue:
We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field The Most High has assigned to us... (2 Corinthians 10:12-13).
To his friends in Galatia Paul further reiterates this principle by declaring, If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load [responsibility] (Galatians 6:3-5).
These statements strongly admonish us not to compete with others or to compare our talents with their abilities or potential, since we are responsible only for our potential, not theirs. The story of the servants with the talents clearly confirms this personal responsibility (see Matthew 25:14-30). Therefore, our principal goal in life should be to discover The Most High’s will and purpose for our lives and to complete our assignment with excellence.
3. The principle of experience.
Experience may be defined as “the observation of facts as a source of knowledge and skill gained by contact with facts and events.” By its very nature, experience is a product of the past and is, therefore, limited to and controlled by previous exposure. In spite of the fact that experience may be valuable for making decisions and judgments concerning the future, it is important to know that any significant measurement of growth, development, expansion, or advancement will require experience to submit to the substance of the unknown through faith. Unfortunately, experience has compelled many promising people to cower in the shadows of fear and failure because they were not willing to venture out into the uncharted frontiers of new possibilities. Experience is given not to determine the limits of our lives, but to create a better life for us. Experience is a tool to be used!
My experience with driving over the years had conditioned me to drive a car monitored by the speed limits established by the society. Therefore, my driving capacity had become subject to the accepted norms of 45-60 mph. The fact that I have driven my cars at 45-60 mph for over 25 years does not cancel the automobile’s capacity to travel at 100-180 mph. In essence, experience does not cancel capacity.
Therefore, my car’s capacity is determined not by my use of that capacity but by the capacity built into the car by the manufacturer. Experience does not cancel capacity. This is also true of our lives. At any point in our lives, we are the sum total of all the decisions we have made, the people we have met, the exposure we have had, and the facts we have learned. In essence, every human is a walking history book. Nevertheless, we must keep in mind that our personal history is being made and recorded every day, and our past experience was once our future. Therefore, we must be careful not to allow our past to determine the quality of our future. Instead, we must use our experience to help us make better decisions, always guarding against the possibility that it may limit our decisions. Remember, your ability is never limited to your experience.
This world is filled with millions of individuals who are capable of traveling at a maximum capacity of 180 mph, but they have settled for 55 mph. Because they have overtaken some folks or have exceeded the expectations of a few others, they have compared their lives to these persons and have accepted mediocrity as excellence. Determine not to let your past experience limit your capacity. Be grateful for the lessons of the past, then accelerate with confidence on to the autobahn of life, being careful to obey only those signs that have been established by your Creator, who admonishes you, “All things are possible if you only believe” (see Mark 9:23).
Dissatisfaction With a Fraction
One of life’s great tragedies is that the majority of the world’s population is composed of individuals who have negotiated an agreement with mediocrity, signed a contract with the average, and pledged allegiance to the ordinary. They have resolved never to be more than society has made them or do more than is expected.
What a tragedy of destiny. The Most High expects more! Inside of every human being is a deep call of destiny to do something worthwhile with our lives. The urge to accomplish great things and engage in significant endeavors is the germ of purpose planted by The Most High in the heart of man. Why then do we settle for so little? Why do we abandon our dreams and deny our purpose? Why do we live below our privilege, buried in the cemetery of wishful thinking and empty regrets?
As we have seen, one reason we fail to progress in fulfilling our purpose is satisfaction with our present measure of success. The belief that we have arrived is the deterrent that keeps us from getting to our destination. A second part of the answer lies in the fact that we have accepted the present state of our lives as the best we can do under the circumstances.
This concept, “under the circumstances,” serves to imprison us and to immobilize our Most High-given ambition because too many of us have surrendered to the status quo and have become prisoners of the war for our minds. We forget that “circumstances” are simply temporary arrangements of life to which we are all exposed. We overlook or disregard the fact that these circumstances are designed to identify, expose, develop, refine, and maximize our true potential. It’s not what happens to us that matters, but what we do with what happens. Much of the time we are not responsible for our circumstances, but we are always responsible for our response to those circumstances.
One key to maximizing your potential is to become dissatisfied with the circumstances that restrict, limit, and stifle your potential. Many people know that they possess great potential, that they have a significant purpose in life, but they still fail to move beyond good intentions to experience the fullness of their lives. Why? Their comfort is greater than their passion. They are more concerned with fitting in than with standing out.
Remember, you will never change anything that you are willing to tolerate. Your Creator wants you to consciously choose to fulfill your purpose and maximize your potential because in so doing you will bring glory to His name. Unfortunately, history gives evidence of only a few rare individuals who, driven by a passion to achieve a cherished vision in their hearts, initiated their own deliverance, rose above the tide of the norm, and impacted their generation and ours.
A second significant key to maximizing potential is the unassuming benefits of “crisis.” Crises, as defined by author Dick Leider, are life’s “wake-up” calls. These alarms are often the catalysts that impel us to become fully conscious of our mediocre lives.
Crises are life’s wake-up calls. How many stories have you heard about individuals who, after a close call with death or disease, suddenly change their lifestyles and their attitude toward life? Often their priorities, and sometimes their entire value system, change. The biblical record bears witness to the efficacy of a crisis to get people back on track. Beginning with Abraham, and continuing on to Joseph, Moses, David, Jonah, Peter, and most significantly the apostle Paul, The Most High used the interjection of a major crisis to lead these heroes of faith to move beyond mediocrity to life at the maximum.
Remember, we cannot become what we were born to be by remaining what we are. Just as the mother eagle removes the comforts of her feathery nest to “disturb” the young eaglets into flying, so our Creator moves us beyond our comfort zones so that we are forced to fly. Without this stirring, most of us would never fly. An eagle that doesn’t fly cannot fulfill its purpose. Likewise, your life will lack purpose and focus until you discover your wings. This discovery will require both wisdom and courage because the thrill of flying always begins with the fear of falling. Yet you are not left alone to find your wings because The Most High, through the prophet Moses, promises to undertake for you.
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on it pinions. The Lord alone [leads you] (Deuteronomy 32:11-12a).
He will give definition to the crises of your life and inspire you to move on into all He has planned for you. Indeed, the greatest gift The Most High can offer you is to push you into a crisis of temporary discomfort that requires you to try your wings. This pushing into crisis is His supreme act of love, akin to that of a mother eagle that pushes her young from the nest to force them to fly.
Don’t be a pigeon if you were born to be an eagle. Experience The Most High’s altitude for your life.
Principles
1. What you have done, does not equal the sum of what you can do.
2. Success is a journey of discovery and adventure as you explore your Most High-given potential.
3. Mediocrity accepts the norm, pleases the crowd, and does what it can get by with. Maximum living pushes the norm, pleases The Most High, and sets the standard of excellence.
4. The capacity of your potential is not determined by what you have done or what others think about what you have done.
5. The performance or opinions of others cannot measure your success.
6. Your past experience cannot measure your future success.
7. Circumstances and crises are The Most High’s tools to move you into your purpose and the maximizing of your potential.
The Torah testifies...............
Exodus 18:23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able H3201 to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.
The prophets proclaim..................
Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able H3201 to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
The writings bear witness...........................
1 Kings 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able H3201 to judge this thy so great a people?
Why Maximize?
Nothing is more irritating, guilt-producing, and incriminating than an unfinished book; live to your last chapter!!
It was four o’clock on a cold, wet, winter morning. The snow had turned to mush, the wind blew with a vengeance, and the entire day seemed destined to be a source of depression. The small town appeared to be drugged as farmers, storekeepers, and street sweepers dragged themselves to their places of business. Suddenly, a young boy about 12 years of age appeared on the time-weathered, cobble-stoned sidewalk, skipping along as he clutched an old cello case. The smile and quick stride revealed his anxiety and anticipation of reaching his intended destination. The little boy’s name was Pablo Casals. His interest in and commitment to music at such an early age inspired even his teacher and proved to be the seed of destiny for one of the world’s greatest cellists. Through the years, his work, accomplishments, and achievements have been testimonies of greatness that stand worthy of emulation. Millions have enjoyed his live performances; history will always hold a place for his ineffable work. Yet, after a lifetime of distinguished achievements, Pablo Casals, at age 85, continued to rise early and spend most of the day practicing his cello. When he was asked during an interview why he continued to practice five hours a day, Casals replied, “Because I think I’m getting better.”
Great minds and souls, knowing always that what they have done, must never be confused with what they can yet do, never settle for great work. As a matter of fact, the concept of retirement is a great myth that traps the untapped potential buried in millions of talented, gifted, and valuable individuals. This Western concept has caused many great men and women to settle for the average and to succumb to the mediocrity of the socially accepted standards of success. Please note, however, that all individuals throughout history who have left their footprints in the sands of destiny were driven by a passion greater than the desire for personal comfort.
Pablo Casals reminds us of the monumental character of men and women such as Abraham, the biblical patriarch who at 70 years of age, childless and frustrated, married to a barren woman, and being, with his wife, beyond the biological age of conceiving a child, accepted the vision of a baby destined to change the world and believed it would come to pass. Abraham saw the fruit of his faith when he was 100 years old. Moses, at midlife, changed careers from a sheep-herding fugitive to a deliverer and national leader of over three million people; by age 120 he had guided them safely to the brink of their destiny. David, the great king of Israel, worked in the twilight of his many years of excellent leadership to make plans for the construction of a magnificent temple for worship, a temple that was eventually built by his son Solomon. Paul, the unrivaled apostle of the Church, after many years of tremendous hardship, wrote a brief description of his challenges in a letter to the church at Corinth. He stated: I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Hebrews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked (2 Corinthians 11:23b-27).
Then this great leader exclaims: “Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?” (2 Corinthians 11:29a) Retirement was never a concept in the minds of these world changers. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul, while spending his final days in prison under house arrest by order of the government of Rome, refused to retire or succumb to the environmental restrictions of age, imprisonment, and threats. Instead, he spent the rest of his days writing beautiful, life-changing, historical documents that constitute three-quarters of the New Testament.
Retirement is never a concept in the minds of world changers. Like Pablo Casals, the apostle Paul believed that no matter what he had done, accomplished, achieved, or experienced in the past, there was always so much more left within to develop, release, and express. They both believed that the enemy of better is best, and the tomb of the extraordinary is the ordinary.
Life Is But a Cup of Drink
Paul’s perception of life, and the responsibility of each of us to maximize life to its fullest potential, is expressed in his final letter to Timothy. To this favorite young student, he wrote:
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:6-7).
Paul likened his life to the ceremonial drink offering administered by the priest in the Old Testament rituals of the temple, in which the priest filled a cup with wine and ceremonially poured it out at intervals in the service until the cup was completely empty. Using this example, Paul gives a very effective illustration of how our lives should be lived.
Your life is like a cup of drink served to the world by our great Creator. The drink is the awesome, untapped, valuable, destiny-filled treasure, gifts, and talents of potential buried within you. Every minute, day, month, and year is an interval of opportunity provided by The Most High for the pouring out of another portion of yourself until you have exposed all His precious treasure that makes you unique. This is called maximum living. True success is not a project but a journey. The spirit of achievement is guided by the notion that success is an installment plan on which we make daily payments until we maximize ourselves. This success begins when we understand and accept that life is a process of growing and developing. Thus, life is meant to be a never-ending education, a journey of discovery and adventure, an exploration into our Most High-given potential for His glory.
The Maximum of Mediocrity
What does it mean to maximize? What is maximum? The word maximum may be defined as “supreme, greatest, highest, and ultimate.” It is synonymous with such concepts as pinnacle, preeminence, culmination, apex, peak, and summit. It implies the highest degree possible. Just a brief look at these concepts immediately convicts us of the many opportunities we have abused and forfeited because we have failed or have refused to give our all. This failure to do our best, to go beyond the expectations of others, to express ourselves fully, to live up to our true potential, to extend ourselves to the limit of our abilities, to give it all we have, to satisfy our own convictions, is called mediocrity. Simply put, mediocrity is living below our known, true potential. It is accepting the norm, pleasing the status quo, and doing what we can get by with. Therefore, to maximize is to express, expose, experience, and execute all the hidden, Most High-given abilities, talents, gifts, and potential through The Most High’s vision breathed in our souls to fulfill His purpose for our lives on earth.
Mediocrity is living below our known, true potential. How tragic that most of the nearly six billion people on this planet will settle for an average life limited only by their unwillingness to extend themselves to the summit of their own selves. Anything less than maximum is mediocrity. In other words, mediocrity may be defined as the region of our lives bounded on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by past thinking, and on the west by a lack of vision. Mediocrity is the spirit of the average, the anthem of the norm, and the heartbeat of the ordinary.
Mediocrity is so common and pervasive that those who are labeled as genius or exceptional have to do only a little extra. Remember, we were created to be above average, un-normal, and extraordinary. The Most High never intended for success in our lives to be measured by the opinion of others or the standards set by the society in which we live. In fact, the Scriptures instruct us not to “conform any longer to the pattern [standards] of this world, but [to] be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (Romans 12:2a). To maximize ourselves, we will find it necessary to declare independence from the world of the norm and to resist the gravity of the average in order to enjoy the outer limits of the new frontiers of our abilities. Why do so many of us settle for mediocrity? The answer is found in what I call the curse of comparison.
The Curse of Comparison
A few years ago I was invited to speak at a series of seminars in Germany for a period of three months. I lived with a wonderful family, who hosted my wife and me. During that time I was able to experience the rich heritage and culture of Deutschland. Among the many wonderful memories I still carry is a lesson I learned about the principle of maximization. It occurred during my first personal experience with Germany’s world-famous autobahn (expressway).
The autobahn is a network of roads, without speed restrictions, that crisscross Germany and many other neighboring countries. One day as we were traveling from a city in northern Germany to the south, my host asked if I would like to experience driving without a speed limitation. This felt like a dream come true, so after filling up with petrol, I took the driver’s seat and entered the autobahn. At first I was excited, thrilled, and anxious as I felt adrenaline rush through my entire body. The feeling of having the responsibility for power without externally imposed limits also brought other mixed emotions, including temporary confusion. All I had learned from my past concerning speed limits, fear of violation, and restrictions imposed by the law as I knew it began to wrestle with my newly found freedom. In essence, the possibility of using maximum power was challenged by my learned knowledge of limitation. I was trapped by the conditioning of my past and handicapped by the fear of unlimited possibilities.
As the pressure of my foot accelerated the engine, I glanced down at the speedometer and noted that it was registering 80 mph. Being an experienced driver for more than 25 years, I must confess that I had previously driven over 80 mph and had even flirted with 90 mph on occasion. Now, here I was with an open invitation to maximize the ability of the car. As other cars raced passed me with the ease of a low flying jet, I watched as my speed gauge tilted past 80 mph. My host smiled and asked, “What are you afraid of? We’re still standing still.”
Not wanting to feel intimidated by this opportunity, I further depressed the pedal and felt the thrill of a car traveling at 115 mph. Words cannot describe the awesome power and pride I felt controlling the speed and direction of such ability. I was beginning to feel proud of myself as we raced through the mountains and lush green foliage of the Black Forest. I was on top of the world. Who could catch me now? I had arrived. I was the king of the road, master of the highway.
This feeling of supremacy was further enhanced every time I passed another vehicle. In fact, I heard myself saying every time we passed another car, “Why don’t they pull over, park, and let a real driver through?” There I was. I had achieved the ultimate. I had set a record for myself. I had passed everyone else. I was the best. Suddenly, after approximately 20 minutes of driving, a Mercedes Benz cruised past me at 150 mph, seemingly coming out of where. Instantly, I felt like I was standing still. My host turned to me and said with a chuckle, “So you see, you are not traveling as fast as you can, but only as fast as you will.”
As his words lodged in my mind, I quickly began to understand the curse of comparison and the limitations of self-pride. From this experience, I learned three lessons that have become the foundations of my thinking concerning success and effective living.
1. The principle of capacity
The true capacity of a product is determined not by the user but the manufacturer. The automobile was built with the capacity to travel at 180 mph; therefore its full potential was determined by the manufacturer. The true potential of the car was not affected by my opinion of its ability or by my previous experience with driving.
Whether or not I used the full capacity of the car’s engine did not reduce its potential capacity. The same principle applies to your life. The Most High created you like He did everything else, with the capacity to fulfill your purpose. Therefore, your true capacity is not limited, reduced, or altered by the opinion of others or your previous experience. You are capable of attaining the total aptitude given to you by your Creator to fulfill His purpose for your life. Therefore, the key to maximizing your full potential is to discover the purpose or reason for your life and commit to its fulfillment at all cost. Your true capacity is not limited, reduced, or altered by the opinion of others or your previous experience.
The apostle Paul, in a letter to the church at Corinth, spoke of the hidden secret wisdom of our destiny that is invested in each of us by our Creator, The Most High.
No, we speak of The Most High’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that The Most High destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what The Most High has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:7-9).
The implication in verse 9 is that no human has the right or the ability to fully determine or measure the capacity of the potential you possess.
2. The principle of comparison.
One of the most significant mistakes humans make is comparison—the measuring of oneself against the standards, work, or accomplishments of another. This exercise is fruitless, demeaning, and personally tragic because it places our true potential at the mercy of others, giving them the right to determine and define our success. When I was driving on the autobahn, I was in a position of great success and achievement if I compared myself to the drivers I overtook. Yet, even though I was leading all the others, I was still not operating at my car’s full potential. The car’s true capacity was 180 mph, and I was traveling at 115 mph. When I compared my car’s performance to all the others, I was leading the pack; I could have been considered a success in their eyes because I was traveling faster than all of them. When I compared my car’s performance to its true capacity, however, I was not truly successful because I was traveling below the maximum speed built into the car by the manufacturer.
The lesson here is that true success is not measured by how much you have done or accomplished compared to what others have done or accomplished; true success is what you have done compared to what you could have done. In other words, living to the maximum is competing with yourself. It’s living up to your own true standards and capabilities. Success is satisfying your own personal passion and purpose in pursuit of personal excellence. In fact, you must always remember to perform for an audience of one, your Creator.
True success is what you have done compared to what you could have done. Consciously applying this principle to our lives can do much to free us from the immobilizing culture and environment of our society, which strives to control us through comparison. From the early years of childhood, we are compared to our sisters and brothers, the neighbor’s children, or some other person. This comparative spirit continues on into our teen and adult years, developing into a sophisticated dehumanizing state of competition. The result is traumatizing because we spend most of our lives trying to compete with others, comparing our achievements with those of our peers, and attempting to live up to their standards of acceptance. Instead of being ourselves, we become preoccupied with being who others dictate we should be.
If we succumb to this temptation, we will be reminded, just like the Mercedes Benz reminded me of my mediocrity, that there will always be some people whom we exceed and others who outpace us. If we compete with ourselves and not with others, then it does not matter who is behind us or ahead of us; our goal is to become and achieve all we are capable of being and doing, and this becomes the measure of our satisfaction.
The apostle Paul, the great leader of the Church, commented on this critical issue:
We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field The Most High has assigned to us... (2 Corinthians 10:12-13).
To his friends in Galatia Paul further reiterates this principle by declaring, If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load [responsibility] (Galatians 6:3-5).
These statements strongly admonish us not to compete with others or to compare our talents with their abilities or potential, since we are responsible only for our potential, not theirs. The story of the servants with the talents clearly confirms this personal responsibility (see Matthew 25:14-30). Therefore, our principal goal in life should be to discover The Most High’s will and purpose for our lives and to complete our assignment with excellence.
3. The principle of experience.
Experience may be defined as “the observation of facts as a source of knowledge and skill gained by contact with facts and events.” By its very nature, experience is a product of the past and is, therefore, limited to and controlled by previous exposure. In spite of the fact that experience may be valuable for making decisions and judgments concerning the future, it is important to know that any significant measurement of growth, development, expansion, or advancement will require experience to submit to the substance of the unknown through faith. Unfortunately, experience has compelled many promising people to cower in the shadows of fear and failure because they were not willing to venture out into the uncharted frontiers of new possibilities. Experience is given not to determine the limits of our lives, but to create a better life for us. Experience is a tool to be used!
My experience with driving over the years had conditioned me to drive a car monitored by the speed limits established by the society. Therefore, my driving capacity had become subject to the accepted norms of 45-60 mph. The fact that I have driven my cars at 45-60 mph for over 25 years does not cancel the automobile’s capacity to travel at 100-180 mph. In essence, experience does not cancel capacity.
Therefore, my car’s capacity is determined not by my use of that capacity but by the capacity built into the car by the manufacturer. Experience does not cancel capacity. This is also true of our lives. At any point in our lives, we are the sum total of all the decisions we have made, the people we have met, the exposure we have had, and the facts we have learned. In essence, every human is a walking history book. Nevertheless, we must keep in mind that our personal history is being made and recorded every day, and our past experience was once our future. Therefore, we must be careful not to allow our past to determine the quality of our future. Instead, we must use our experience to help us make better decisions, always guarding against the possibility that it may limit our decisions. Remember, your ability is never limited to your experience.
This world is filled with millions of individuals who are capable of traveling at a maximum capacity of 180 mph, but they have settled for 55 mph. Because they have overtaken some folks or have exceeded the expectations of a few others, they have compared their lives to these persons and have accepted mediocrity as excellence. Determine not to let your past experience limit your capacity. Be grateful for the lessons of the past, then accelerate with confidence on to the autobahn of life, being careful to obey only those signs that have been established by your Creator, who admonishes you, “All things are possible if you only believe” (see Mark 9:23).
Dissatisfaction With a Fraction
One of life’s great tragedies is that the majority of the world’s population is composed of individuals who have negotiated an agreement with mediocrity, signed a contract with the average, and pledged allegiance to the ordinary. They have resolved never to be more than society has made them or do more than is expected.
What a tragedy of destiny. The Most High expects more! Inside of every human being is a deep call of destiny to do something worthwhile with our lives. The urge to accomplish great things and engage in significant endeavors is the germ of purpose planted by The Most High in the heart of man. Why then do we settle for so little? Why do we abandon our dreams and deny our purpose? Why do we live below our privilege, buried in the cemetery of wishful thinking and empty regrets?
As we have seen, one reason we fail to progress in fulfilling our purpose is satisfaction with our present measure of success. The belief that we have arrived is the deterrent that keeps us from getting to our destination. A second part of the answer lies in the fact that we have accepted the present state of our lives as the best we can do under the circumstances.
This concept, “under the circumstances,” serves to imprison us and to immobilize our Most High-given ambition because too many of us have surrendered to the status quo and have become prisoners of the war for our minds. We forget that “circumstances” are simply temporary arrangements of life to which we are all exposed. We overlook or disregard the fact that these circumstances are designed to identify, expose, develop, refine, and maximize our true potential. It’s not what happens to us that matters, but what we do with what happens. Much of the time we are not responsible for our circumstances, but we are always responsible for our response to those circumstances.
One key to maximizing your potential is to become dissatisfied with the circumstances that restrict, limit, and stifle your potential. Many people know that they possess great potential, that they have a significant purpose in life, but they still fail to move beyond good intentions to experience the fullness of their lives. Why? Their comfort is greater than their passion. They are more concerned with fitting in than with standing out.
Remember, you will never change anything that you are willing to tolerate. Your Creator wants you to consciously choose to fulfill your purpose and maximize your potential because in so doing you will bring glory to His name. Unfortunately, history gives evidence of only a few rare individuals who, driven by a passion to achieve a cherished vision in their hearts, initiated their own deliverance, rose above the tide of the norm, and impacted their generation and ours.
A second significant key to maximizing potential is the unassuming benefits of “crisis.” Crises, as defined by author Dick Leider, are life’s “wake-up” calls. These alarms are often the catalysts that impel us to become fully conscious of our mediocre lives.
Crises are life’s wake-up calls. How many stories have you heard about individuals who, after a close call with death or disease, suddenly change their lifestyles and their attitude toward life? Often their priorities, and sometimes their entire value system, change. The biblical record bears witness to the efficacy of a crisis to get people back on track. Beginning with Abraham, and continuing on to Joseph, Moses, David, Jonah, Peter, and most significantly the apostle Paul, The Most High used the interjection of a major crisis to lead these heroes of faith to move beyond mediocrity to life at the maximum.
Remember, we cannot become what we were born to be by remaining what we are. Just as the mother eagle removes the comforts of her feathery nest to “disturb” the young eaglets into flying, so our Creator moves us beyond our comfort zones so that we are forced to fly. Without this stirring, most of us would never fly. An eagle that doesn’t fly cannot fulfill its purpose. Likewise, your life will lack purpose and focus until you discover your wings. This discovery will require both wisdom and courage because the thrill of flying always begins with the fear of falling. Yet you are not left alone to find your wings because The Most High, through the prophet Moses, promises to undertake for you.
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on it pinions. The Lord alone [leads you] (Deuteronomy 32:11-12a).
He will give definition to the crises of your life and inspire you to move on into all He has planned for you. Indeed, the greatest gift The Most High can offer you is to push you into a crisis of temporary discomfort that requires you to try your wings. This pushing into crisis is His supreme act of love, akin to that of a mother eagle that pushes her young from the nest to force them to fly.
Don’t be a pigeon if you were born to be an eagle. Experience The Most High’s altitude for your life.
Principles
1. What you have done, does not equal the sum of what you can do.
2. Success is a journey of discovery and adventure as you explore your Most High-given potential.
3. Mediocrity accepts the norm, pleases the crowd, and does what it can get by with. Maximum living pushes the norm, pleases The Most High, and sets the standard of excellence.
4. The capacity of your potential is not determined by what you have done or what others think about what you have done.
5. The performance or opinions of others cannot measure your success.
6. Your past experience cannot measure your future success.
7. Circumstances and crises are The Most High’s tools to move you into your purpose and the maximizing of your potential.
Shema Selah The Most High is drawing out of you the potential that He has placed in you!!
No comments:
Post a Comment