This morning on Facebook I read a post by David Whyte about honesty.  The article basically asserted that honesty is admitting where we are powerless and that we are often dishonest because we are fearful of loss.  The more I thought about this, it became clear to me that I absolutely disagree with this.  We must be honest about our circumstances but we are by no means helpless in them.  Honesty is being real and authentic with who we are.  We should not try deceive ourselves and others into believing we are someone who we are not.  However, I don’t believe we are powerless to change if we choose.  I tend to sit in the camp that we are more powerful than we think.  Every action we take affects another and can lead to a chain reaction of good or evil.  To not recognize this is dishonest.  We do not live in a vacuum.  Every decision matters.  Even indecision matters.  Often what we choose not to do can have far-reaching consequences.

I believe I am here to be a part of a bigger story.  I am a player on a team or an actor on a stage but the game/story is real life coached/directed by God.  We all play a part even if we don’t recognize it at the time.  Dishonesty is not acknowledging our role in the unfolding of history.  I am a powerful agent for good if I choose to be. This is a scary responsibility.  I don’t want to mess it up but the fact is, I will and I have.  It doesn’t mean that I am not redeemed to be an agent for good another day.

Peter fell hard when he denied Jesus the night he was taken to be crucified.  Yet he became one of Jesus’ most influential spokesman the rest of his life.  His recognition of his need for redemption made him powerful.  It freed him to be an agent for good.  He wasn’t mired down in the self-pity of helplessness.  After His resurrection, Jesus took Peter aside on the shores of the Sea of Galilee to commission him to care for and feed His sheep.  Jesus gave Peter the power to overcome his losses.  Jesus saw Peter’s potential.  He looked beyond who Peter was to who he could be.  Peter could have said, “but I’m only a fisherman.  What can I do?”  Instead he with the other disciples changed the world for good.

Don’t say to yourself, “I am only…”  Honesty says you are powerful.  Each one of us has the potential to change the world in our own sphere of influence.  However, if you choose to believe in your perceived helplessness, it will never happen.