Everyone starts as the fry guy, it’s the beginning post in most fast food restaurants. It’s a pretty easy job and needs to be done…but nobody wants to stay there….it’s the starting block but not the end goal. What would you think of someone who was still the fry guy after 5 years….20 years. I would dare say that alot of our churches are full of fry guys, they’re still where they started. They’re still drinking milk, rarely tasting meat. They may have dreams, but thats all they are….dreams. What keeps people away from their potential?
- Sin. The first group eventually falls off to the side for one reason or the other. One thing I’ve noticed is that often times the quicker the rise the harder the fall. I’ve seen so many guys both close-up and afar that were rising-stars, they had the personality, the talents, the gifts, the followers and almost as quickly as they rose…they fell. This group of people are tragic to me…they’re “could have beens”. God could have done great things in and through them but they for one reason or another they never acheive what God has for them.
- Themselves. The second group stays the course…but never achieves much. I’m not talking about being in full-time ministry or making a name for themselves…it’s more like they stagnate. I occasionally return to my home-church where I was saved and I see so many familiar faces. And the sad truth is that so many of them are still where they were with God 15 years ago. They’re still dealing with the same struggles, they’re still limited by the same lack of faith or doubt, they’re still eating spiritual left-overs…living off of yesterday’s truths. This is the easier trap to fall into and at times I’ve found myself reheating yesterdays revelation…resulting in spiritual stagnation.
Living out your potential isn’t easy…if it was everyone would do it. We’re living out our potential and our dreams right now, but it hasn’t been easy getting here or staying here. I could have walked away a million times and blamed it on someone else…the lying pastor, the betraying friends, a successful career, the American Dream, the cheating pastor, debt, lack of confidence……. You could list your own excuses as well…but you don’t want to stagnate, you don’t want to be a could-have-been, you don’t want to stop short of finishing the race….you don’t want to retire as the fry guy….no one does. Dream big, expect much, pursue daily, obey always.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I believe some people are called to ordinary, non-exciting lives. While they would be the rarity, I do know two different people who happily refused promotion in their jobs for years, and one of them actually was the Fry Guy at a McDonald’s! God does have plans for each of us with potential to grow. I just don’t think it always looks spectacular or exciting.
While I agree we need to be growing in our walk and relationship with Jesus, some of us are on a much, much longer/slower path to get there. We had all but given up on my brother-in-law, the stereotypical druggie and convict. Decades with no change made us feel that he just wasn’t gonna walk with Jesus, ever. But about six years ago absolutely everything changed, he cleaned up and accepted Christ, and his new lifestyle has remained consistent; even his entire immediate family have become Christians over time.
C. Holland,
Thanks for the comment. Maybe I wrote this too literal…I wasn’t knocking anyone for being the literal “fry-guy”. I’ve worked my share of these types of jobs…and with this economy I may have to again:-)
I was referring more to people who had a dream, who wanted to live out their potential and just kind of…gave up on it and settled where they are. I don’t believe everyone has to live an exciting life, in the way that mine is exciting…but I do believe that many of us miss out on what God has for us either due to poor decisions, lack of endurance, sin, lack of faith….and that to me is tragic.
Peace,
Grady
Thanks for the clarification. Understanding that, many in my hometown embody what you stated, and it does sadden me.