It would appear that we have begun a 3-day series in which Warren describes what it means to be SHAPEd (SHAPE is an acronym Warren created) by God and to use and discover our “SHAPE.” In day 30, Warren talks about the Spiritual gifts and Heart God gives us to serve Him.
Candidly, I don’t know what Warren mean when he says “spiritual gifts.” He never explains what a “spiritual gift” is, he only says that we each have them and they’ve been given us to “fulfill the purpose God has for us.” Maybe this is merely a talent – something we’re good at.
Heart refers to what we like, what we’re passionate about, what gets our motors running, where we find our flow.
Take out all references to God and Warren is basically saying: look at what you’re good at and look at what you like to do to find your purpose. Nothing too controversial here. Whether you believe these things come from a higher power or not, doing what we like and doing what we’re good at seems like pretty sound advice for figuring out our purpose. Warren adds that we must apply our affinities and abilities in the service of others and I agree with that – anything else is merely ego gratification and gets old fast.
Warren observed two phenomenon with regard to “gifts” that I really appreciated – gift-envy and gift-projection. Gift-envy is about wanting what someone else has – facility with language, connection with music, comprehension of advanced math, excellent memory, sophisticated palate, grace, etc. – and feeling lesser as a result of undervaluing our own gifts and talents relative to others’. Gift-projection is effectively about looking at someone else and thinking “I can do it, why can’t they?” You see this all the time in group projects at work and school – we resent and judge others for not having or demonstrating our own capabilities.
I thought these observations were wonderful reminders that our gifts are unique and we should neither squander them wishing we had someone else’s gifts, nor devalue our gifts by assuming others (should) have ours. (Nor devalue others’ gifts just because they are not our own).
I’ve never properly valued my own gifts. Growing up, I assumed everyone was smarter than I was. I assumed that if I could do it, anyone could do it – it couldn’t be that hard. I assumed there’d always be someone better than me at whatever I did, so I didn’t bother to pursue anything too seriously.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t excel, because I did – not in high school, but certainly in college. I was good at academic learning and I enjoyed the intellectual challenge. If one could get paid to be a professional student, I would be both happy and wealthy. Still…
I had chosen a narrow career field based on both my aptitude and my affinities. I believed there was a niche I could exploit, but faced discouragement early in my pursuit. In addition, the perceived pressure to take the first paying job I was offered led me into work which was neither what I liked nor what I was good at. 11 years later…
The pendulum has swung back hard in the other direction. One might call my decision to quit my job and hit the road an “over-correction.” Right now, I’m doing what I like. And, if you consider that I’m a decent dancer, then one might also say that I’m doing what I’m good at, though I haven’t been doing as much of that as I expected to when I embarked. Service? Not so much. Certainly, there’s a service aspect to this blog – I’m obviously not writing this for glory – but the intangible nature of the service aspect leaves it feeling a bit…incomplete.
So, I have a lot of work to do. This chapter was actually a great reminder of things to consider focusing on. Thanks, Rick!
TL;DR: No tl;dr for virtual book club posts.
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