“I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure” – Eric Liddell
While this quote was shortened and then made popular in the movie Chariots of Fire, the above is from Eric’s personal reflections. While not gifted in this area, I find the premise to be true within me that God has made me for both very unique purposes that are true across all of mankind. At the same time, I also find true within me a set of gifts, skills, and capabilities that have a level of freedom to them that I am trusted to hold properly.
Everyone reading this, whether saved or not, has a call from God to properly bear his image. While this is true at a conceptual level, it is necessary that I must practically figure out how to live this out within the relationships and situations that arise. I’m currently called into the roles of husband, father, business owner, and many others. I must begin to understand first what God’s true image is, not some religious concept, but truly who He is. Then I must be able to contextualize this image within the roles that I’m blessed to be in. This topic has great depth, but it is not the focus of our time.
I would like to contemplate with you the second idea I brought up. Those gifts, skills, and capabilities that are uniquely held by me, and also ordained, developed, or handed down through the generations by a very kind God who is looking for His name to be declared within His creation. It becomes quite tempting to separate those items from spiritual purposes. After all, they are the items that I “do at work”, “when I need time to do mindless activities”, or because “it’s what our family does.” However, I would challenge you that these items are highly spiritual in their roots and hold within them a kingdom capability.
One of the items that I hold within my beliefs around work, hobbies, and skills that I possess anchors back to Acts 1:8. Christ, in charging His disciples before his ascension, specifically states three areas where the disciples are to “be my witnesses.” These locations are 1) Jerusalem, 2) Judea and Samaria, and 3) the end of the earth. This correlates to your specific city, your region, and the globe. The question arises, are all three of them for me, or is it just one? I would actually challenge you to think through not necessarily trying to figure it the specific place, but to be a participant within all of these concepts. Essentially, it’s very easy for an individual to assume they have discerned God’s desire in these areas based upon their experiences, personal justifications, or even fear…but that’s not the level of discernment I could encourage.
One of the joys of my life is trying to engage Christ’s Kingdom building opportunities in each of these areas. Some of my gifting, experience, and skills rest in agriculture. Figuring out how to engage those giftings and skills beyond just using them to make money I can give from is a joy that is exponentially higher than the alternative. There is a unique reconciliation that happens in my soul when the items that I love around stewarding His creation cost me time, comfort, and other opportunities. I get this engagement in my soul that values what He has done with these gifts and His kindness in when I, to quote Liddell, “feel His pleasure” in utilizing these gifts, skills, and capabilities.
My challenge to you, is to find those items that need redemptive influence within your spheres. Does fishing need an evangelistic purpose? Does cooking need more hospitality to the broken vs. friends? Does agriculture need an international missions purpose? Does construction need reconciled with orphans and widows? Most importantly, are you fully committed to Kingdom building with everything you have? The moments I live there are quite addictive…and I’m the most alive.
Andrew Hoelscher