Why must I understand my S.H.A.P.E.?

Posted under Uncategorized on August 26th, 2007 by with no responses 

Why must I understand my S.H.A.P.E.?
by Rick Warren

Freedom comes from doing what you’re
gifted to do.
– Rick Warren

At Saddleback, we talk about the five different factors that make up a person?s S.H.A.P.E.: Spiritual gift(s), Heart, Abilities, Personalities, and Experiences. Why is this important? Why should we bother figuring out how God has shaped us? I ?ll give you five benefits.

Understanding your S.H.A.P.E. reduces stress. You stop comparing yourself to other people. The Bible tells us not to do that anyway. It’s dumb to compare yourself. Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop trying to do what you’re not gifted to do. Build on your strengths. Recognize your limitations. Maximize what you’re good at, and don’t worry about the rest. That’s a stress reducer.

Understanding your S.H.A.P.E. increases success. What is success? I can tell you what it?s not – it’s not making a lot of money. I know a lot of people making a lot of money who aren’t successful. Success is knowing God’s will and being right in the center of it. Success is being what God meant you to be. It’s figuring out who you are and then being it! It’s finding your niche and saying, “That’s me!” That’s true success.

Your S.H.A.P.E. determines how you learn. Only about 25 percent of people learn by reading and studying. Others learn by listening, by discussing, by seeing something modeled, and then by actually doing it. If you happen to learn the way the school system teaches, you get “A’s,” but if you don’t happen to learn that way you probably don’t get very good grades. It has nothing to do with your intellect. It has everything to do with your S.H.A.P.E. We all learn in different ways. Schools ought to teach different ways because people are shaped differently.

Understanding your S.H.A.P.E. deepens satisfaction. A satisfying life is what you experience when you?re doing what God made you to do. Freedom comes from doing what you’re gifted to do. When you understand this and you enjoy what God made you to be, then all of a sudden you feel the love of God a whole lot more because you’re in harmony with his plan.

Understanding your S.H.A.P.E. builds self-esteem. There’s an epidemic of low self-esteem in our society today. Most people do not like themselves. One reason, studies have shown, is that more than 50 percent of all people are in the wrong jobs. I believe that genuine self-esteem – as opposed to pop psychological self-esteem – is built on two biblical truths. It?s not about raising yourself up by your boot straps or thinking positively or the “I’m OK, you’re not so hot? philosophy. Genuine self-esteem is built on two things:

1) The truth that you matter to God. Jesus Christ proved it. He died on the cross. And he didn’t die for junk – he died for you. Jesus Christ proved how much you matter to God by giving his life on the cross for you.

2) You were shaped by God for a purpose. You matter to God, and he created you uniquely for a purpose.

When you understand those two things, you?ll gain genuine self-esteem. Maybe you don’t feel like your life has mattered much up to this point. A lot of people feel that way.

You matter to God. And as you establish a relationship with Jesus Christ and begin to live the way he wants you to, you discover who God made
you to be.

I received a letter from an attorney who had resigned his law office to become the director of the Rescue Mission. He wrote to tell me that frequently, as he?s talking to discouraged men and women along skid row, he uses the model of S.H.A.P.E. to minister to them. He went on to say that whenever he can, he points out to these people that even their most desperate, most tragic situations can become the basis of good that God wants to bring out of their lives. In other words, in the language of the street, ?You can’t deal God a bad hand.? This lawyer wrote, ?Yesterday, I was struck by the impact these words had upon a man in his 40s named Richard. As a toddler, Richard was abandoned in a hotel room by his prostitute mother. He spent some time serving overseas, then had two failed marriages and children with whom he has had little or no relationships. At this point in his life, he was overcome by pain and frustration. Emotionally, he was an abandoned child. When I reminded Richard of his unique S.H.A.P.E. and that `God never wastes a hurt’ you could see the despair beginning to lift. Though weeping, there was a clear sense of joy and celebration. It was as though God was embracing and tenderly stroking someone who, for many years, was convinced he was utterly unlovable.”

You matter to God. And as you establish a relationship with Jesus Christ and begin to live the way he wants you to, you discover who God made you to be. My prayer for you is that you’ll be able to say like Paul, “By the grace of God, I am what I am.” I pray that you’ll not only accept what God made you to be, but you’ll enjoy it and thank him for it. You’ll see the wisdom of what he did in giving you your gifts, heart, ability, personality, and experiences. And then I pray that you?ll say, ?I want to contribute my uniqueness to this world for the glory of God.?

Until next week,

On this day...

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