I never thought I would, but I now work in a public elementary school. A Title 1 school in fact (which means that a significant number of students in the school come from a place of financial strain).

I had a conversation with a teacher today talking about the different services offered to students who are struggling to grasp the material we teach them. How to read. How to add. How to write.

There is so much that goes into discerning whether or not a student has a disability or not.

But it saddens me to hear that sometimes we fall short in assessing whether or not a student has potential.

Factors such as trauma, family culture, language, and more can be overlooked when we merely look at data.

Data is important and helpful, but it does not tell the whole story.

At times I feel that people have looked at me – at each of us – and have made assumptions about who we are. Call it prejudice or stereotyping or whatever you want, it happens all the time.

I’ll never forget telling a man I met at an open house that I planned to become a pastor someday. I could not fit inside his box of what a woman should look like.

He could not see my potential to serve, to minister to others, to teach the Bible, to be a leader.

I am thankful that while others may not see my potential, God always does.

And He sees it in you, too. Whatever your circumstances, whatever your income level, race, gender, mental or physical health, past or present. You, my dear, have value, have worth, have a brain, are smart, are important, and have a fire that no one can ever fully put out.

We may feel discouraged and that others don’t see us. But friend, I see you. You are magnificent and I mean that with everything with in me.

I can’t wait to see you fulfill your potential.

Thank you, Kate Motang, for this writing prompt, “potential,” at Five Minute Friday. If you write and want to join us, link up your writing or comment over at FiveMinuteFriday.com. 

I am happy to share with you that I am over at The Mudroom sharing part of my story of anxiety and faith. This was a goal of mine for a long time. It is so good to see it finally happen. In a way, it is showing me that I can live up to my potential, too.

Below is an excerpt, the full article is here.

For a long time I thought that faith was the absence of fear. That if I had faith, I wouldn’t ever be afraid. That in my faith, my anxiety would be gone, my uncertainty would disappear and my crooked paths would all be made straight.

But that has not been my experience. I look at the twisting road of life that goes up mountains and into valleys and I can’t see where it leads and I am afraid. There is a shaming voice in my ear that tells me I just need to trust that God is good and if I just knew God, I wouldn’t experience these emotions—as if emotions are sin and feelings are always wrong. So I try harder and harder to control those feelings which results in them being pushed lower and lower into my being until suddenly I burst out with tears and pain and words and moans and then finally, finally I feel relief.

Because when I release the fear, giving it voice and expressing it with honesty and truth, then God meets me…

Read more over at The Mudroom.