Heartbeatنموونە

Alright, I know this is a weird place to start today, but do you know how they train elephants? (Hey, I warned you). They start by having a trainer chain the foot of a baby elephant to a spike that has been hammered into the ground so that it doesn’t run off. The baby can’t seem to pull away and it becomes discouraged and stops trying. However, baby elephants tend to grow up. When they are full grown, they continue to chain them to a spike driven into the ground. Once they feel the slight tension and resistance of the chain they remember that they can’t get away, so they settle to their confined space. Little do they know that they are more than powerful enough to pull that spike out of the ground, but past experiences tell them that they can’t. They have a history of being bound and they settle for that way of life, though they could certainly be free if only they tried. 

We can be like that sometimes too!  We try things, venture out, but once we feel a little tension in our life, we feel stuck. Stepping into our God-given purpose will force us to face that tension.  It will challenge us and often times it will force us to do something different than the things we’ve always done.

When it comes to purpose, the Bible teaches us a great deal. There are spiritual gifts, ministry gifts and the fruit of the spirit. These might not give the detailed answer we desire, but they help us hone in on the unique creation that we are. God wired us, individually, in a special way. We are uniquely made and simply wonderful. Knowing and applying this information frees us from the expectations of others and releases us into the purpose of God’s design for us! 

Read Romans 12 and jot down which spiritual gifts and ministry gifts you think you have. If you get bogged down and have trouble, ask a close friend for their input. Often those we love can see greatness in us that we can’t see for ourselves. 

Spend some time thanking God for making you the way he did. He didn’t mess up; there’s a purpose and reason behind your personal design. Ask God to give you opportunities to use your gifts.