Potential

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) The late Ed Wood, a former Indian Life Board member, was one who believed in realizing potential. I’ll tell the story as it was told to me — the un-stretched version! Yup . . . read on. Ed’s teenage daughter had just graduated from high school and wanted to go to college in Phoenix, Arizona . . . a long way from their Winnipeg home. Ed believed in encouraging people to stretch their wings to reach their potential, so he gave her his blessing (Mom wasn’t quite so sure). The first month-and-a-half went okay, but then things quickly unraveled (the reasons are still somewhat vague) . . . Baby Girl is phoning and wanting to come home — and Mom and Dad want her home, too. Put potential aside for a while, we gotta go get her! There was a car rental company that was running a $99 unlimited mileage special that weekend, and Ed was a great one for recognizing potential. He and Jean picked up the car on Thursday night just before closing time. Then they started driving — hard, steady driving. They got in Saturday sometime, loaded her and her stuff up and headed back to Canada (6400 kms round trip). At 7:45 Monday morning, Ed nonchalantly handed the keys in and thanked the rental guy . . . who just about fainted when he saw the mileage! Yes, Ed could certainly maximize the potential in almost anything. Sometimes, we don’t see the potential that is there, whether in a person or situation, but we all were created by God to be someone very special. Don’t ever forget that! Oh, and that daughter? She works in the income tax industry, loves her job, and inherited something pretty big from Dad — a belief in realizing potential. Lord, help me become all that you created me to be. Only you can do that. — Kene Jackson   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org