Each of us was uniquely designed, or shaped, to do certain things. Before God created you He decided what role He wanted you to play on earth. He planned exactly how He wanted you to serve Him and then shaped you for those tasks.
Understanding our SHAPE involves looking at five areas of our uniqueness....
1) Spiritual gifts - God-empowered abilities for serving Him and others.
2) Heart/passion - represents the source of all our motivation - what we love to do and whom we care about serving.
3) Abilities - the natural talents we were born with (and yes, you have talents!) What we're able to do, God wants us to do - no one else can play the same role!
4) Personality - It is obvious that God loves variety as He created us with a unique combination of personality traits! There is no "right" or "wrong" personality for service.
5) Experiences - there are many experiences that have shaped our lives and God has allowed them to mold our character. God often uses our painful experiences the most to prepare us for ministry. In fact, your greatest ministry will most likely come out of your greatest hurt. Don't ignore it.
Using your shape is the secret of both fruitfulness and fulfillment in ministry. You'll be most effective when you use your spiritual gifts and abilities in the area of your heart's desire, and in the way that best expresses your personality and experiences. The better the fit, the more successful you will be!!
(From Days 30 & 31 - The Purpose Driven Life)
Download lesson handout and audio lesson here.
I love the comment in the book and lesson that God never wastes a hurt. It is so true. The hurt of course will always be there and you will never forget it, but God doesn't want us to forget it...He wants us to use it. It is an old saying that when God gives you lemons make lemonade. Take something sour and turn it into something sweet. I know I will certainly never forget the hurts I have been through and the continuing things I have to sludge through, but God has used them to give me a heart that wants something sweeter for others. I also want others to know that when you are in the process of making that lemonade...God is helping you all the way. He is there squeezing the fresh lemons and holding the bag of sugar he wants to bless you with. You are not alone. God will be running that lemonade stand with you and make it all worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy - great visual of what we're to do with the lemons in our lives!!
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