EVERYTHING Begins With PurposeSample

Day 4: What is your God-given proficiency? This is your third and final circle.

If a friend were telling someone about you whom you’d never met and they wanted them to get a feel for the incredible person you are, what would they say to describe you? Would it be “funny,” “deep,” “loving,” “smart,” “creative,” or “wise?” Whatever words they choose, they are speaking about who you are by observing your proficiencies. These are the God-given abilities with which we are created that give us the tools needed to accomplish our assignments, and this will be the content of your final circle.

Some of these gifts are with us from the day we are born; others come with time, teaching, and testing, but we all have them and are known for them.

The number one fear of Americans is public speaking, greater even than the fear of death (#2)! Think about that for a minute. People would rather be the person in the casket than the person standing at the front of the room talking about the person in the casket! I’ve always been a talker. Ask any of my teachers, and they’ll tell you that they had to tell me dozens of times to sit down and be quiet. They didn’t know that God created me to stand up and speak! I come alive when I “get to” talk, teach, coach, or even just make a new friend on a flight from one place to another. It’s who I am; it’s my proficiency, superpower, and gift from God to accomplish my assignment.

What about you? Some people love to sit in a cubicle and account for long lines of data. Some shine in combat. My teachers loved their job (despite my best efforts). Others really come alive when it’s time to listen. Still, others can manage chaos into order. No two people will have identical strengths because we are all created to do/be something different for the glory of God, but all these strengths speak to a greater purpose for which we are called.

The intellect of Paul.

The wisdom of Solomon.

The strength of Samson.

The poetry of David.

No one person has it all, but what we have is powerful and important. We are the poetry of God (remember Ephesians 2:10?), and each syllable fills the phrase of our generation with the beauty and power of our Creator.

Review:

Passion? First circle

Pain? Second circle

Proficiency? Third and final circle

The answer to these three questions is like a map guiding you to who you are, your purpose, and your assignment from (and with) God.

Tomorrow, we will take the last step on our journey together, and I’m so excited for what you will see (perhaps for the first time) when these answers overlap!

Homework: Draw your third and final circle, write the words that best describe your proficiency, and get ready for tomorrow!