PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE – DAY 31 {UNDERSTANDING YOUR SHAPE}

Point to Ponder: Nobody else can be you.

Insight: God designed each of us so there would be no duplication in the world. No one has the exact same mix of factors that make us unique. That means no one else on earth will ever be able to play the role God planned for us. If we don’t make our unique contribution to the Body of Christ, it won’t be made.

 SHAPE: Applying Our Abilities

Spiritual gifts

Heart

Abilities

Personality

Experience

We discussed in Day 30 the spiritual gifts and the heart. Let’s look at the other three.

Our abilities are the natural talents we were born with. Some people have a natural ability with words. They come out of the womb talking! Other people have natural athletic abilities, excelling in physical coordination. Still others are good at mathematics or music or mechanics.

All our abilities are from God – Even abilities used to sin are God-given; they are being misused or abused. Since our natural abilities are from God, they are just as important and as “spiritual” as our spiritual gifts. The only difference is that we were given them at birth.

One of the most common excuses people give for not serving is “I just don’t have any abilities to offer.” This is ridiculous. We have dozens, probably hundreds of untapped, unrecognized, and unused abilities that are lying dormant inside of us. We are a bundle of incredible abilities, an amazing creation of God. Part of the church’s responsibility is to identify and release our abilities for serving God.

Every ability can be used for God’s glory – Here are just a few of those mentioned in Scripture: artistic ability, architectural, administering, baking, boat making, candy making, debating, designing, embalming, embroidering, engraving, farming, fishing, gardening, leading, managing, masonry, making music, making weapons, needle work, painting, sailing, selling, being a soldier, tailoring, teaching, writing literature or poetry.

God has a place in His church where our specialties can shine and we can make a difference. It’s up to us to find that place.

What I’m able to do, God wants me to do – We are the only person on earth who can use our abilities. No one else can play our role, because they don’t have the unique shape that God has given us. If God hasn’t given us the ability to carry a tune, He isn’t going to expect us to be an opera singer. God will never ask us to dedicate our life to a task that we have no talent for. On the other hand, the abilities we do have are a strong indication of what God wants us to do with our life. They are clues to knowing God’s will for us. God doesn’t waste abilities; he matches our calling and capabilities. Our abilities were not given to us to make a living; God gave them to us for our ministry.

SHAPE: Using Our Personality

Our unique DNA is a scientific fact of life. It is obvious that God loves variety—just look around! He created each of us with a unique combination of personality traits. God made introverts and extroverts. He made people who love routines and those who love variety. He made some people “thinkers” and others “feelers.” Some people work best when given an individual assignment while others work better with a team.

The Bible gives us plenty of proof that God uses all types of personalities. Peter was sanguine. Paul was choleric. Jeremiah was melancholic. There is no “right” or “wrong” temperament for ministry. The world would be a very boring place if we were all plain vanilla. Your personality will affect how and where you use your spiritual gifts and abilities.

SHAPE: Employing Our Experiences

We have been shaped by our experiences in life, most of which were beyond our control. God allowed them for His purpose of molding us. In determining our shape for serving God, we should examine at least 6 kinds of experiences from our past:

• Family experiences: What did we learn growing up our family?
• Educational experiences: What were our favorite subjects in school?
• Vocational experiences: What jobs have we been most effective in and enjoyed most?
• Spiritual experiences: What have been our most meaningful times with God?
• Ministry experiences: How have you served God in the past?
• Painful experiences: What problems, hurts, thorns, and trials have we learned from?

It is this last category, painful experiences, that God used the most to prepare us for our ministry. God never wastes a hurt! In fact, our greatest ministry will most likely come out of our greatest hurts. Who could better help an alcoholic recover than someone who fought that demon and found freedom? Who could better comfort a wife whose husband has left her for an affair than a woman who went through that agony herself? God allow us to go through painful experiences to equip us for ministry to others.

If we really desire to be used by God, we must understand a powerful truth: The very experiences that we have resented or regretted the most in life—the one’s we’ve wanted to hide and forget—are experiences God wants to use to help others. They are our ministry!

For God to use our painful experiences, we must be willing to share them. We have to stop covering them up, and we must honestly admit our faults, failures, and fears. People are always more encouraged when we share how God’s grace helped us in weakness than when we brag about our strengths. Only shared experiences can help others.

What will we do with what we’ve been through? Don’t waste our pain; use it to help others? We will be most effective when we use our spiritual gifts and abilities in the area of heart’s desire, and in a way that best expresses our personality and experiences.

My thoughts: As I write I am reminded that I always told people that I hated writing. I rather have a tooth pulled without Novocain than to write. I guess God had other plans for me. Although I don’t consider myself a good writer, He has used my raw writing abilities to tell people my story. I know it has had an impact on others when I share from my heart. That paired with my personality, has helped me to open myself to others that might have similar personal experiences as mine. This is the part where I know God has been doing a deep cleansing to refine me as pure gold and bring a lot of my impurities out and to help me understand His way and share from the deepest part of my heart, my spirit and my soul. I know a book is in the future and perhaps a speaking tour, even though I prefer to be a behind the scene person. He knows!

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