Untapped Capacity

Why can one person work 12 hours a day and feel energized, while someone else works eight hours and feels worn out?

How can one mom manage to feed, clothe, bathe, and raise five kids, while another feels like two children are all she can handle?

Why does one worker feel completely satisfied with the role he plays each day, while another feels unfulfilled if he can't advance to a higher level of responsibility in the company?

These questions have many answers, and they are not mainly a matter of right and wrong but of personality, temperament, giftedness, and calling. We all have different levels of capacity.

Capacity refers to the size, strength, and potential of an object or a person—the ability to receive or achieve. If you're a plumber, you know the capacity of a water heater. If you're a Broadway producer, you care about the seating capacity of your theater. If you're a fund-raiser for a non-profit organization, you understand the importance of your donors and their giving capacity. If you're an educator, you recognize the capacity of your students to learn and apply information.

How does the Lord look at such things? In the parable of the talents, Jesus painted a picture of three individuals who had different levels of capacity but equal opportunities to be productive. The five-talent man and the two-talent man took what they were given and put their talents to use. Though unequally endowed they were equally diligent, so the Master gave them equal approval: "Well done, good and faithful servant!" The one-talent man, however, left his capacity untapped. Fearful and lazy, he hid his talent in the ground. The Master called him wicked and worthless—not because he produced less than the others, but because he didn't invest and use what he had been given.

Are we fully tapping our capacity to serve the Lord? September 11, 2001 showed that human beings have a terrifying capacity for evil. A typical hour of network TV proves that we have the potential for a lot of foolishness and superficiality. However, September 11 also demonstrated the human capacity for bravery and self-sacrifice; and the evening news included inspiring stories of kindness, service, and faithfulness in the face of suffering. Our capacity for good is greater than we realize.

The real issue, though, is not our capacity, but God's. How capable is God? The psalmist said, "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him" (Psalm 115:3). "Great is the Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit" (Psalm 147:5). The apostle Paul put no limits on the capacity of God. He wrote, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Our capacity is limited, but God's is unlimited. Our extraordinary Creator chooses to join with ordinary creatures like us in a productive partnership the Bible calls "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Our capacity for fruitfulness and joy will multiply when we devote ourselves to the focused pursuit of one glorious goal: living for the glory of God.