Worse Than A Has-Been

What’s worse than a Has-Been?

A Never-Will-Be.

At least a Has-Been got the chance to be in the game. He may have been on top for some time and would probably know the way if he desires to go back. A Never-Will-Be has already given up without even trying. A Never-Will-Be has not yet realized his full potential. And may never will.

A lot of us are like the Never-Will-Be. We have masterpieces still to be painted and songs yet to be written. But if we don’t take action, we may never realize our full potential and we may be depriving others of the chance to be touched and impacted by our contributions.

Fear plays a major part. Fear of rejection. Fear of criticism. Fear of failure. It prevents us from taking chances. It stifles us. If we can learn to manage our fears then we have a good chance of preventing this from happening.

• Realize what you’re missing. Fear causes us to hang on to false security. We hang on to a job beneath our abilities or a boss we dislike as long as we think we are safe. This is a false sense of security. We plod on because of the salary and the fringe benefits, but we may be shortchanging ourselves.
• Accept fear. Fear is everywhere and even high achievers are not spared from it. The only difference is that they’ve learned to conquer it.
• Face your fears. Get used to the feeling. This is especially true when you’re about to take a major step in realizing your goals. Fear will always be there. For example, right before that big presentation or that major interview before the board.
• Be willing to plan. You can minimize the impact of fear by preparing as much as ou can in any undertaking. Our anxiety is magnified because of lack of preparation.
• Make a leap of faith. Honor the Lord by showing your faith in Him as you pursue your goals. By persisting in spite of fear and by dedicating all that we do th Him.

Letting go of Egypt

The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

- Exodus 16:3

I was listening to Ed Lapiz on the radio one night when I thought I heard him say, “Let go of your Egypt”.  The phrase stuck to my mind.  He was talking about the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land.  When the Israelites came to the Desert of Sin (between Elim and Sinai) on the fifteenth day of the second month, after their final escape from the Pharaoh’s forces. They were grumbling because they had no food.  They recalled their days under the Pharaoh’s rule.  They were oppressed yet comfortable, to a certain extent.

The Lord may may have great plans for us but sometimes the only way to reach them is to get out of our comfort zones.  Moving on to a better position, a better job or to better circumstances, means taking a leap of faith.  It doesn’t mean being irresponsible and just leaving your current obligations.  It means planning, as much as you can, for that next big step.  Anticipating all possible scenarios and preparing for them gives us comfort but then, we get a feeling that somehow, certain factors can still conspire to foul things up just as we are making our big move. Now THIS is what makes us uncomfortable.  And this is were we need to make that leap of faith.  It will never make sense now but in hindsight (it’s always in hindsight, isn’t it?), you will understand why you were made to undergo such an experience in getting to your goal.

“…For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

- Jeremiah 29:11

We should seek the best from God, but we have to leave Egypt to get to the Promised Land.

What’s your personal Egypt?