The Best You Can Be

I had a dream recently. In my dream I had a conversation with a sporting coach who spoke about how it was his goal to bring the very best out of people, so they could be the best that they can be (it’s rare for me to have a dream I actually remember the next day!).
Following on from this, in my awakened state, I was reading through the gospel of Mark in our daily devotions. It struck me how frequently there is reference to God doing through people more than what you would expect. As the disciples struggled to heal, Jesus says “everything is possible for the one who believes” (Mk 9:23). He speaks of a faith that can move mountains (Mk 11:22-24).
Jesus also told his disciples about that most remarkable of impossible events – the resurrection – which would confound everyone’s expectations.
This made me think about life today, what we expect from it, and what we contribute to it. Where do we see the miracles? Where do we place the boundaries upon what is possible?
It was the famous sculptor, Michelangelo, who once said that “in every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me…I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison it to reveal it to the eyes of others…”
Every human being is a master-piece of God, but whether that masterpiece becomes someone who serves or someone who lives for themselves, someone who builds their character or someone who simply feeds their earthly appetites, someone who develops their God-given potential or is content to let it lay dormant, is the question that remains.
I have a conviction that most human beings have the potential for so much more goodness and beauty and love and service than we see fulfilled. That’s why it is so vital to shape the minds and hearts of children in the formative years. We should make no apology for teaching the Bible and the centrality of Christ’s saving work in the cross and resurrection to our children from the beginning of their lives. This forms the foundation for developing in them the character and discipline required for their growth in maturity.
To be frank, what our children today are ‘fed’ intellectually, morally and socially by our society, makes it little surprise that dysfunction, depression, self-harm and bullying have become so prevalent. We instil in them a sense of entitlement to their own ways and pleasures, building an expectation that inevitably cannot be met. All manner of frustrations flow from there.
The biggest miracle of all is a transformed life; a life which lives in full devotion and obedience to God. That is a hard fought miracle, but there are none more precious.