Level Up: A 7-Day Journey to Help You Advance in Your CallingSample

Actualize

Between a promise and its fulfillment, there is always a process—a series of actions and steps designed to achieve a particular end. When God calls a person, regardless of the vocation or the sector of society they’re called to, He will always take them through a process of preparation.

Let’s use the process of a car wash as an illustration. Passing through an automated car wash can be an unnerving experience (at least for me, it is). As you approach the entrance, you must select the type of wash you want and pay for it. (There is always a cost to God’s process, but the promised fulfillment makes it worth it.)

Most car washes offer a variety of options ranging from basic to detailed. Each option promises that your vehicle will be thoroughly cleaned, but the greater the price paid, the more work that is accomplished—like a coat of wax.

Once you’ve decided on the wash you want, there’s an alignment with the tracking system that’s required as you enter the car washing process. This is where you put the car into neutral and you let go of the steering wheel. Once you’re in, there’s no backing out. (This is like aligning and surrendering your heart to the work God wants to do in you.)

As the car wash begins, all you have to do is yield to the process as you’re moved forward by the track system. While you sit patiently, your vehicle goes through a variety of experiences. It begins to shake as it is bombarded with powerful, spraying water jets; soap is squirted and begins to foam; huge brushes start circulating around your vehicle; sirens and strange noises are buzzing—not for the faint of heart! Once the wash is completed, you are then signaled to make your exit. Mission accomplished—your car is clean!

The process God takes us through can often feel like the experiences we have while in a car wash—unnerving. But the intended outcome is always for our benefit, so that we emerge as a better version of ourselves and begin to actualize our potential. Remember, between a promise and its fulfillment, there is always a process.

If you’d like to learn more about how to realize your potential and advance in your calling, check out my book, Level Up.