Be All You Can Be: A Challenge to Stretch Your God-Given Potential by John Maxwell Read Free Book Online Page A

begin to fight the dream that God may have given them to reach their potential. People who are not going to reach their dreams stop at this third stage. They don’t buy into it; they fight it—and they never become what they could become for God.
    The fourth stage is the “I sought it” stage. This is where desire comes in: We begin to want it so much that it possesses every part of us. Finally comes the “I got it” stage: I can touch it with my hands. This is where I say, It’s mine; I’m glad I paid the price; I’m glad I dreamed the dream .
    I was in college when Robert Kennedy was assassinated, and I remember one of my college friends coming in and sharing with me that morning that Kennedy had been killed. In the days immediately following his death, there was much written about him in the newspapers. I cut out a quotation of his that I’ve never forgotten. I’m not sure it was original with Kennedy, but it was said about him, and I hope it can be said about all of us. “Some people look at things as they are and say, why? Some people look at things as they could be and say, why not?” There are people who see only what is and constantly butt their heads up against the wall and back away with Excedrin headaches. They haven’t figured out that if they stand on their tiptoes and peek over that wall, they will see that there is life beyond. They’re always asking, Why did this happen to me? Why am I a victim of my circumstances? But there are other people who have learned to look beyond limitations and barriers. They can see beyond and say, Why not? Why can’t this happen to me?
    When Hubert Humphrey died, I began reading a lot about his life. He wrote a letter to his wife in 1935, during his first visit to Washington, D.C. Here’s what he said. “I can see how someday if you and I just apply ourselves and make up our minds to work for bigger things, we can someday live in Washington and probably be in government, politics, or service. Oh gosh, I hope my dream comes true. I’m gonna try anyhow.”
S TOPPED BY A V ISION
    Let’s look at the apostle Paul. I think one of the key ingredients in his life was his vision. Not only did he see what he was, but he also saw what the grace of God could enable him to become. It was that vision that kept him steady throughout his ministry. In Acts 26:19, when he stood before King Agrippa, he said, “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision.” In spite of all the problems he had run into in his ministry, in spite of what was about to happen to him, he had been obedient to the dream God had given him. The vision Paul was given by God did several things for him. First, it stopped him. If we have a great dream, if we have a challenging vision, it will stop us right in our tracks.

While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” And I said, “Who are You, Lord?” And the Lord said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 26:12–15)
    Our visions may not be quite that profound. Few of us have a Damascus road experience. But like Paul, if we have a great vision, it will stop us in our tracks and let us glimpse what we have the potential to become.
    What happened in Paul’s life can happen in our lives. When we see ourselves properly, there are a couple of things that will happen. One, we’ll see our position. We’ll see who we are. We’ll see what we are doing. We’ll see where we are going. This can be discouraging because we may think, I’m not accomplishing what I want to accomplish; I’m not being what I want to become . But all people who have the