Doubting Greatness

Picture this; Sunday morning, people fill the seats,

Waiting on the pastor’s words of happiness and peace.

But, instead of a message that brings meaning to their lives,

The words coming at them today are somewhat a surprise –

Words that remind them of greatness; of something they’ve never known,

Every syllable slamming against them, painful, almost tearing at their soul.

And there I sat as well, listening, the words eating me away.

Why do words that should encourage make me feel this way?

Making me feel empty, because I know I could be more,

The shoulda, coulda, woulda’s come knocking at my door.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, the message was quite inspiring,

But what I felt behind it, if honest, was just plain tiring.

Because I knew that I had work to do, if I was to embrace this destiny;

The path that God had set me on, which I had strayed entirely.

Why do I feel this way? Why do I dread the path ahead?

Why do I look across this room of dreams, and see only nightmares instead?

Every single person that day, had hopes, and dreams, and gifts

But most of them abandoned that for lack of faith and grit.

For every person near and far is born an empty slate,

Hoping to do something in life that people consider great.

But as the years come rolling in, we accept an unkind truth,

That most in life we’ll shoot for, we’ll miss, so we settle without proof.

We never try for fear of failure, and so fail before beginning.

And on it goes throughout our lives, accepting loss, no hope in winning.

But God said..

I know the plans I have for you, the plans to give you peace,

The plans to prosper, love, and hold; my son died for your release.

From the pain and suffering and fear, from doubt and insecurity,

So that nothing in this world could cloud your clarity.

And yet, clouded vision comes, because we lose that faith,

And allow the lies of a dying world to drag us to that place

Where darkness overcomes the light, where death steals every life,

Where happiness is just a dream on a road that’s wrought with strife.

The devil wants to keep us small, to keep us living within limits,

Because he knows the greatness within threatens his very existence.

Maybe not the greatness that we had originally envisioned,

But a greatness that comes from something more – a decision.

A decision to commit our lives to higher, to a God that’s full of love,

To the idea that grace covers everything, from below and from above.

Grace changes everything, and sets us a new path.

No matter how many times we stray, we can always come right back

So…

The simple truth is this: that God gave us gifts on purpose,

And even though it’s for his glory, it goes deeper than the surface.

For what you see outside, is not always what’s beneath.

God knows that what we do, ripples beyond our reach.

So each and every day, the choices that we make,

Spread beyond the paths we walk and show His love innate.

Though still I doubt myself, I know that God believes.

And all the gifts I have, are all I’ll ever need…