Heads or Tails?

Every coin has two sides, a heads side and a tails side. The same is true of our lives. We all have a tails side - our history, things we have done or things done to us, our past. We also have a heads side, our future, the life God created us to experience, our destiny.

In the world’s economy, the tails side gets way too much attention. We tend to view people through the lens of their pasts, their failures, their mistakes and the damage done. And we often fail to take God into account, or the fact that God has a destiny for each one of us. He desires that everyone be fully alive. No life is a write off or a waste when God is a factor – and He is always a factor.

In God’s economy, if we are going to have a Kingdom mindset, we must to look at people (and even ourselves) on the heads side of the coin… our destiny. Why is it that we so often get stuck in the past that cannot be changed, rather than choose to see potential and destiny? Nothing is impossible when God is involved. He can flip a coin in an instant; He can change a life in a moment.

When we choose to live on the tails side of the coin rather than encourage others onward, forward and upward toward their destiny, we are in essence assigning punishment to them. We force them to live with who they were, what was and what cannot be changed, rather than speaking them toward what can be.

Now, there is validity in taking a look at the tails side of the coin – but only to find those things in the past that are acting as a hindrance to realizing destiny. It is not a place to dwell, and it is not a place to be used to label or punish someone. It is rather a place to uncover roadblocks so that they can be healed and permanently removed so that destiny can be realized.

Jesus gave us a wonderful example of viewing people through the heads side of the coin. It was and is His specialty. He is the master at speaking others into their destinies. He called Peter the rock on which He would build his church, fully knowing that Peter was anything but a “rock” in that moment. Jesus knew that in a very short time, this “rock” would cower in betrayal of Him, not once, but three times. Jesus did not view Peter as he was, He saw Peter for who he would be.

Matthew 16:18 (Message) “And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.”

I want to know who I am, who I really am… I don’t want to be chained to my failures and mistakes. I have made many and will most likely make more this side of heaven. I want rather to be chained to my future – to my destiny – to my life lived in all the fullness God intended from the moment He thought me into existence.

Now here’s the one-two punch… wouldn’t we all rather be viewed from the heads side of the coin? Will we extend that same gift to those around us? Heads or tails?