What were you built to do?

Today is my daughter’s birthday, she turns three. It has been a joy to see her grow and learn new things and begin becoming the woman that God has created her to be. I like to sit back sometimes and just watch her and try to guess what she is going to excel in. What things will she be gifted with? Is she going to be an athlete, an artist, doctor, or teacher? I try to pick up on the little clues and the way she does things and then follow that path to get a glimpse of what her life might look like. At this point, things are still a bit ambiguous and in reality I don’t care what she ends up doing. I want to raise her to use whatever God has given her to the most of her ability. I want to see her using her talents to praise God in everything she does. Maybe she will use her extremely dramatic nature to act and be a godly example to the world of what it looks like to follow Christ. Maybe she will use her obsessive compulsive side and become a brilliant surgeon specializing in saving people;s lives with very delicate surgeries. Maybe she will use her overwhelming nurturing side to be a stay at home mom and manage a household. I truly just want to see her pursue her passions and use them in ways that glorify her Heavenly Father.

Why bring all this up? Well this week we examine the parable with the investments. In Matthew 25 14-30 we see a master giving to his servants and then returning some time later to see how they used what he gave them. No instructions were given, nothing inhibiting what they with their gift. Two of the servants used it wisely and had something to show for their gift but a third servant hid his away until his masters return at which point the servant was removed and his gift was taken from him. These verses remind me to be very aware of how I am living each day. How am I using what God has given me? How am I managing the gifts and resources He has placed in my life? What am I doing that no one else can do?

Do you like sports? I have always been drawn to the sports world. I think it is one area where you can blatantly see people using the gifts and abilities God has given them. Do they always glorify Him in the process? No, but every now and then they do. I think about my childhood heroes like Michael Jordan and current stars like Lebron James and I see someone built to play basketball. They simply have abilities others do not have. Michael Phelps captivated this country for more than a week as he proved he was the best in the world at what God created him to do. I remember seeing doctors talk about how his body was built to swim. And then I think about someone like Josh Hamilton. He had all the God given talents and was projected to be one of the all time greats coming out of high school. But after several dark years battling drugs he returned to God and his story is an amazing story of redemption. Go to Youtube and do a search for him and see what he did at the Allstar game this past summer. Do a search for him and read about his story and how he points everything to God. He is someone using his talents to make much of God.

What about you and me? I can’t hit home runs, dunk, or swim real fast, but God has given me something and I can use it or I can hide it away. Ultimately what I choose to do with what He gives me I will be held accountable for. Its not about the results or the return on investment, its about passionately and obediently following after Him. Maybe today its simply speaking a word of encouragement to the cashier at the grocery store, or maybe it is praying for a leader that is struggling with how to communicate to their class. I don’t know what each day will hold or what opportunities I will be given, but I do know that I want to be diligent about seeing them and investing in any way I can. What about you? What skills or passions are bottled up inside you? How can you use the passions that drive you to glorify God? How is using what He gives you honoring to Him? Why is squandering it so bad?

Think about showing a clip of Josh Hamilton’s story to your class or email it out sometime before class. Have a discussion about ways he could have handled his new fame differently, or ways you would have handled it. Join the conversation this week. I gotta go, there is a guy that does balloon animals heading to a class of 12 3 year olds and he may need back up. Head over to my blog, www.chadjordan.wordpress.com if you are bored tomorrow as I will post a few pictures of a wild and crazy 3 year old birthday party with balloon animals. Sounds exciting!