When You're Second-Guessing Your God-Given Potential

So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” - Hebrews 13:6

Two years ago when I first started coaching basketball, 90% of my team was made up of 6th and 7th graders. I had shoes older than some of these girls. But what they lacked in age, they made up for in work-ethic, drive, and perseverance.

Today, four of those girls from my first team have their first game as varsity basketball players. They’re 8th and 9th graders now, and even though they’re considered young for the level they’re playing at, I lack no confidence that they’re ready for what they’re going to face in this game today.

I watched for the last two years how hard these girls worked. I watched them push themselves and each other. I listened to them ask questions. I helped them learn when they made mistakes. I encouraged them when they succeeded and consoled them when they failed. And I reminded them to always keep going, no matter how many setbacks they faced.

It’s because of that kind of preparation I’ve watched them go through the last two years that I’m so confident they’ll be ready for today.

And as I sit here thinking about that, I wonder if that’s how God looks at us.

He sees our potential. He knows what we’ve been through up until this point. He’s prepared us in ways we probably didn’t even realize or understand at the time. He’s walked with us every step of the way, leading us to what’s in front of us right now. And He has full confidence in knowing He’s prepared us to pursue His will for us, even when we lack confidence in ourselves.

I know for a fact that there have been times when my players were nervous about a certain game, afraid of a certain opponent, or doubtful of their abilities in a certain situation. But I always knew what they were capable of, and I loved getting to encourage them to overcome their doubts and fears so that they could reach their potential and succeed.

I also know that there have been plenty of times when I’ve been the one who’s been nervous, afraid, and doubtful when I know deep down that God is calling me to something or leading me down a certain path. And without fail, every single time, He’s encouraged me and pushed me to keep going so that I can follow His will for my life.

Friend, if you’re reading this, I hope the same is true for you. I hope you’ve seen God show up for you in the moments where you’ve been nervous to take a step of faith or doubted yourself when it comes to pursuing God’s calling on your life. I hope you can point to moments when the only reason you were able to keep going was because the Lord was right there with you, reminding you that with Him by your side, anything is possible. And I hope that even in your biggest moments of fear and doubt, He’s made His presence known to you and you were able to persevere because of it.

If I really think about it, it’s kind of funny how easy it is for me to see potential in my basketball players but to second-guess my own God-given potential…how easy it is to believe in my players but not always believe in myself. But I don’t want that to be the case anymore. I want to see myself the way I see them. I want to see myself the way God sees me. And I want you to see yourself the way God sees you, too.