Monday Musings: What's your stake?

I got this in one of my daily emails from the nice "Page a Day Calender" folks.

It's from their One Minute Devotion calendar and is some serious food for thought...

"I tried to appear brave, but I was shaking in my sneakers as we stood within five feet of a six-ton elephant. My second-grade mind didn’t understand the laws of physics, but somehow I knew that the short red-and-white stake ol’ Jumbo was tied to was no match for his brawn. In my mind, I can still see him rocking back and forth, tugging against the stake, but never pulling it up.

My dad took my hand and told me I didn’t need to be afraid. Then he asked, “Billy, do you know why such a little stake can hold a big elephant like that?” He pointed to a baby elephant nearby who seemed to be pulling with more determination than the big guy and explained, “When the big elephant was little, he was chained to a stake just like that baby. He pulled against it over and over again, but it wouldn’t budge. Then one day he gave up. He decided it was no use, he was just not strong enough. And an elephant never forgets.”

I’ve thought about that elephant a lot. The one thing that keeps that six-ton animal from getting away is not a two-foot stake. It’s a thought!! (emphasis mine)

That elephant reminds me a lot of myself sometimes. I live within limits that come nowhere close to my full potential. Some of my limits are self-imposed; some I’ve allowed other people to impose on me. No matter what their source, these limits make a difference in how I see myself.

In order for me to move toward becoming the person God created me to be and fulfill the purpose He created me to fulfill, I must pull some stakes and jump some fences. After all, I’m not what people think I am. I’m not what *I* think I am. I am who God says I am."

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What fences do you need to jump? What stakes do you need pull up?