Every Trip Is Charged with Potential

Have you felt like your days don't contain the same kind of potential as they used to? Or do you feel like you can't impact situations and people as much as the next person?

I was reading my Bible this morning and decided to look up a town that was mentioned in Google Maps to see where it was. Before I knew it, I was looking up the Google Maps route from Nazareth and Bethlehem.

Having experienced a closeup view of pregnancy through my wife, it amazes me that Joseph and a pregnant Mary took the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem by donkey. They may have taken a slightly more straightforward path than what Google Maps shows, but that's still a long way to go for someone in her third trimester.

It's even more stunning to think that God had all of it under his control. It was not, humanly speaking, the right thing for the king at the time to force everyone to temporarily return to their hometown just to get a more accurate census. However, it was within God's plan to fulfill the prophecies about Jesus' birth and life. These prophecies were written down to display the perfect glory of God despite the imperfections of this world because of sin. One of these glorious foreshadowings about Jesus' birth and life was spoken by the prophet Micah:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days (Micah‬ ‭5:2‬ ‭ESV‬).

Even though it may have seemed to Mary and Joseph that they were being forced to go on an unnecessary journey, they were taking it as part of God's plan for billions of people to be impacted by the truth. The salvation of God's people was in the balance when all this young couple probably saw was dusty trails, cold nights, desert predators, and fellow begrudging travelers.

What Potential Does Your Day Have?

Do you feel like you're in the same boat sometimes? Are you on a journey that has been unbearably tough or seems meaningless? Are you taking your trips to the grocery store with lead feet and boredom in your soul? If so, think about this: If you have dedicated your life to Jesus, you have the same potential energy as Jesus. You have received the same life that Jesus has and are therefore charged up with the glory of God. The same glory that guided Joseph and Mary on their journey to Bethlehem to impact the world can be guiding you. So why are you treating aspects of your life as meaningless?

My challenge to you is this: On the next trip you take, remind yourself over and over again that you carry the same potential impact as Joseph and Mary when they were carrying Jesus. You carry the same Jesus with you that they carried and in addition you have the Holy Spirit guiding you at all moments. Start your trip right now mentally. See yourself driving to the grocery store, to your family, to that meeting with a friend, or to work. Now see yourself flowing with the potential energy that you already contain if you are a follower of Jesus. How will that change the way you drive, the way you talk, and the way you interact with others? You have within you the most impactful change agent in the world, so why are you acting as if everything around you is controlling you?

If you desire to be conscious of your potential energy, pray this with me: "God, I want to walk through every moment of my day today with the realization of how impactful I can be. Help me to be a billboard of your glory. Come be my strength as I interact with others. I desire to let loose the potential energy in my life to impact everyone around me."

If you have kids or love great books, check out this book about the incredible impact that Jesus had before and after his birth: The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name