One of the best things you can ever do for yourself is to celebrate who you are and what you have. I know it is hard sometimes to accept who we are and what we bring to the table but the reality is that God created us with unique abilities and talents that your immediate world really needs.
I love to read the book “The purpose Driven Life,” by Rick Warren. It is a book that talks extensively about our uniqueness as people. In the book, Rick Warren discusses about something he calls our “SHAPE.” It is an acronym for Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personalities and Experiences.
We all have “SHAPE.” We have unique gifts that were given to us by God, that when put to use, can change lives around us. These gifts are things we didn’t really ask for but God in His mercies gave them to us anyways.
We have unique passions and things that touch our hearts deeply. Some of us are passionate about flowers, some are passionate about kids in the inner city, others are passionate about arts. I realized that I am very passionate about leadership. I am driven by leadership and can not stand bad leadership. I am also passionate about helping people financially and love it when people rise above whatever limitations life has thrown at them. So those are my passions, what yours?
We also have abilities that are special to God, some people can sing, others can dance, others can speak, while others simply can think things through. God never creates anything without abilities and you can do something with the abilities that you have. So discover what those abilities are and use them to bless someone out there.
We also have personalities and experiences, we can use our personalities and experiences for good as well. Well you may say “I can’t stand the way I talk or the way I walk or the way I am .” Friends, those thoughts or statements are not from God. Your personalities and experiences however hurtful or insignificant they are to you, can be used for God’s glory.
In 2 Kings 4:2 the bible tells a story about Elisha and a woman whose dead husband left them in serious debt. The scripture says
“Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house? “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
There is always something in the house. Find out what it in there and use it. Many times, we look down at what we have and conclude that what others have is way better. The grass is always greener on the other side but the fruits of our lives will only get sweeter when we celebrate and cultivate what we have on the inside. So celebrate yourself today, enjoy your SHAPE and let God use it to bless others. Happy Tuesday.
DiggingDeeperWithOmokhai 