The Tragedy of Unrealized Potential

One of the things I see in life that saddens me deeply is how many people never even attempt to apply themselves to anything meaningful. It's like they simply exist and then die off.

It's a tragedy that breaks my heart.

So many people go through life on autopilot, either out of fear, complacency, or lack of direction. They're merely surviving instead of truly living. And the tragedy is not just in the missed opportunities, but in the potential that never gets realized.

I'm constantly in awe of the enormous potential I see in the people I meet. And I don't say this to my own credit, but I cannot stop myself from seeing the value in every person I encounter.

Often it takes just a few interactions, or even minutes of observing someone from afar, and I can see it. It's like my hidden superpower: discerning the value and gifts in people. And I carry that with me in my development as a leader because I truly believe this is at the heart of true leadership.

Leaders have never been about themselves. Not the leaders of the past, and not the true leaders of today. Leaders are about people. Leaders live beyond themselves.

But here's what I see: people have so much inside them. Dreams. Talents. Purposes. But sometimes they need a spark. Encouragement. Or even just the permission to believe that they can do more than simply exist.

This reminds me of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.

In this story, a master entrusts his servants with valuable resources before leaving on a journey. To one he gives five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to their ability.

The servants with five and two talents immediately go and invest what they've been given. They apply themselves. They take risks. And when the master returns, both have doubled what was entrusted to them.

But the servant with one talent? He buries it in the ground out of fear. He does nothing with it. And when the master returns, he has nothing to show but excuses.

The one who applied what he was given, it grew and thrived. The one who buried it in fear of losing it lost it all in the end.

This is not just a story about money or literal talents. It's about what you do with what God has given you.

Your life. Your gifts. Your relationships. Your marriage. Your family. Your time. Your potential.

The question is: are you investing it, or burying it?

My wife and I are still fairly young in our marriage and family, but we are passionate about the call of God on our lives.

Our hearts ache for marriages that are on the rocks. We anguish for children who are missing out on true, godly, Spirit-led upbringing in the midst of this crooked and perverse culture we find ourselves in around the world.

My wife has a God-given burden for wives and mothers, especially those who are just starting out. She knows the weight they carry. She understands the isolation, the pressure, the questions. And she longs to see them walk in their calling with strength, wisdom, and joy.

And me? My spirit never ceases to ponder the huge gaps in male leadership, discipleship, and mentorship that yield godly, Spirit-filled, real men of reverence for God. Men of holiness, responsibility, and unwavering integrity.

I go to bed and wake up meditating in my heart concerning my own son and how to raise him up in the spirit of truth and honor for God. But it's not just him. It's the many young men around the world who reach out to me every single day through my social media inboxes, searching for guidance, for encouragement, for someone to believe in them.

This is the burden we carry. This is the talent God has entrusted to us. And we refuse to bury it.

Here's what I want to say: the Lord delights for us to live in joy, peace, enduring hope, and love, even despite prevalent and distasteful circumstances in life.

But friends, all of these cannot be realized and sustained when one is outside of Christ.

As the Good Book says, speaking of Christ Jesus:

My wife and I often get asked, not that we have attained perfection or even caught a glimpse of the summit of our own personal sanctification journeys, but we often get asked: "How do you do this? How do you do that? How do you achieve this or that?"

And if there is one thing we unequivocally agree on, it is this:

The joys of life, and life itself, are hinged on one's position in relation to Christ Jesus.

Are you in Him, or not in Him?

Is He in you, or not in you?

If you have ever desired what we have, or even vaguely pondered, "How did these simple, unsophisticated paupers possess such and such a thing?" we reveal to you today, with inexplicable love, the secret to all that we are and have as a family.

And it is this: faith in Christ Jesus and walking in Him.

Listen, we have lost our lives and our old selves to Him. And we have been made alive in Him, by Him, to Him, and for Him.

This is not religious performance. This is not about being good enough or trying harder. This is about surrender. About dying to yourself so that Christ can live through you.

And when that happens, everything changes.

Your marriage changes because Christ is at the center.

Your parenting changes because you're no longer operating in your own strength.

Your calling becomes clear because you're no longer chasing your own ambitions, but walking in His will.

The potential that was buried begins to come alive. The talents He gave you start to multiply. The fear that kept you paralyzed begins to lose its grip.

Friends, we have the Lord. And you can be His too.

Would you have faith in Him today?

And if you've had an encounter with Him sometime in the past, are you willing to recommit to walking with Him in sincerity?

Where is your trust and rest?

Your answer to these questions will determine everything about the way and manner in which you conduct yourself and experience life under the sun and beyond.

He is why we are who we are. And He longs to save you and teach you also.

Please let Him. It's worth it all.

Maybe you've been living on autopilot. Maybe you've been surviving instead of truly living. Maybe you've buried the gifts, the calling, the potential God placed inside you because of fear, disappointment, or simply not knowing where to start.

Today is the day to unearth it.

Not in your own strength. Not by trying harder or being better. But by surrendering it all to the One who gave it to you in the first place.

Invest what He's given you. Apply yourself. Have faith in Christ Jesus.

And watch what He does.

Because the master is coming back. And when He does, He's not looking for perfection. He's looking for faithfulness.

That's the life He's calling you to. Not mere existence. Not survival. But abundant, purposeful, joyful life in Him.

If this message stirred something in you, if you're hungry for a life and a marriage rooted in Christ, we invite you to join the Called Community.

We're not perfect. We're still on the journey. But we're walking it together, in faith, with Jesus at the center.

And we'd love for you to walk with us.

Share this with someone who needs to hear it. And most importantly, take the step of faith today.

Don't bury what God has given you. Invest it. Apply it. Live it.

In Christ, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are yours.