There’s a myriad of tools to discover your personality type, your dominant traits, your introversion or extroversion, and even what “Disney song embodies your life right now.” These are a mixed bag when it comes to actual helpfulness, some are purely for entertainment’s sake, and some actually help you evaluate yourself and how you live your life. I don’t think there’s much conclusive evidence that any of these assessments are actually accepted by the scientific community. I’ve taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and I am an INFJ. I read about the Enneagram, and I spent so much time trying to figure out which number I was. The jury is still out, and I think that’s largely due to the fact that we humans are complex creatures, not easily placed in a box and labeled. Over the years, I’ve been compared to various animals and humors, and one teacher in high school assigned us each colors based on his perception of us. And for the record, the “Disney song that embodies my life right now” is “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2, and it couldn’t be more accurate for my life and this particular blog post!
Humans, created in the image of God, have a natural tendency to categorize and label (Adam named the animals in the Garden), and we like to classify where we belong. It is immensely helpful to get to a place in your life where you can evaluate yourself with some insight and begin to understand why you are the way you are. Self-awareness is important, but it isn’t the final answer. Our hearts are easily deceived, and often our self-perception is wildly inaccurate. However, when you add the Holy Spirit into the equation, you’ll finally get somewhere. Understanding God’s awareness of who you are will lead you down the path He means you to walk. He has the most accurate view of your heart, your design, and your gifts. And it is precisely in that space where finding God’s will runs into your design. You have to know how He designed you, what He’s gifted you to do, in order to find His specific will for your life.
Our design is important when it comes to finding His will because God truly intends for you to use the gifts He gave you. And His gifts are intended to GROW the body of Christ, the Church, to build Her up.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…
Ephesians 4:11-13, esv
It’s so important for us to identify how He’s designed us so we can walk out His intentions for us. The Apostle Paul teaches,
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10, esv
He has work for us to do; He’s already prepared it. We just need to walk it out.
Here are some questions to help you discern God’s will via your design:
- What makes your heart beat fast? I’m serious. Our former pastor in college asked us this question. What makes your heart beat fast? Get busy doing it.
- What do people ask you about? Do they come to you for advice? Do people need your help in a particular area of their lives?
- Have you been asked by leadership in your church or community to serve in a particular area because you’re good at it?
- Have you asked God for direction? Have you asked Him to open doors of service?
- Have you asked those closest to you to tell you what strengths they see in you?
- What actions have you been complimented for in the past?
- Have you taken a risk to try a few different things to see if anything clicks?
- What do you most enjoy doing?
- What gives you a sense of fulfillment? What doesn’t feel like “hard work” to you?
- Have you prayed about it?
Whatever it is that God has designed you to do will be a good fit with who you are. It will likely require you to step out in faith and trust Him to help you grow in it because that is God’s modus operandi. He loves to stretch us and show us that with His guidance and help, we can truly reflect His image to the world that desperately needs Him. Whichever path He takes you on, you can rest assured that He will be with you every step of the way. Ask Him! Ask Him to reveal it to you. He will be faithful to show you.
I’ve explored the surface of leaning on God’s Word in finding out His will, of looking for His goodness and grace toward you, and of looking at God’s design of YOU. But there are deeper waters to explore as we examine next week how to find God’s will when fear and insecurity come knocking. I pray you are blessed and encouraged to set aside some time to seek Him and His will for you because the Church needs you to step up and live out your gifts among us.
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