Do you know the Christmas carol The Little Drummer Boy? A little drummer boy is invited to join the Magi in bringing gifts to the Christ Child, but the boy is poor and thinks he has no gift to bring. Instead of gold or myrrh, the boy plays a song on his drum for the Holy Family. It’s a sweet song, but it’s also a reminder that we are called to use our gifts to glorify the Lord.
Not sure what your specific gifts are? Recently on The Cale Clarke Show, Cale walked listeners through an easy exercise to discover the gifts that we have been given. He was inspired by NFL football player Zach Sieler, who recently posted on Instagram, “When our gifts intersect with our passions, we have purpose. And our purpose is to display the glory of God.”
“I thought it was really interesting when he posted that,” Cale said. “I think there’s a lot of wisdom there. And it’s true, that our lives are to glorify God. John’s Gospel, chapter 1, talks about the glory of God revealed in Christ. Our lives are supposed to reveal God’s glory and draw people to Him. One of the ways we do that is by what Zach Sieler says, when our gifts intersect with our passions.”
Cale recalled a Protestant minister who used the acronym SHAPE to discover how God has blessed you specifically and the gifts you can use to glorify God. Cale explained the meaning of the acronym, saying:
S stands for spiritual gifts, and we all have at least one spiritual gift.
H stands for heart, and heart is kind of what you’re passionate about. It’s going to be difficult to be good at anything you’re not passionate about.
A stands for abilities, your natural abilities. God gives you your natural abilities as well – your intelligence, your physical abilities, your aptitude, your strengths.
P stands for personality. That plays into a lot too. If you’re an introvert you’re probably not going to want to have a radio show. Some introverts do I guess, but you know what I’m saying.
E stands for experiences. God never wastes an experience in your life, for good or for ill. Because even with the bad things that we’ve gone through, how we’ve gotten through them can help other people. That’s part of his purpose for us. For example, if you’ve beaten an addiction, you can help someone else who is struggling.
When you consider the exercise above, is there something that stands out as your SHAPE? Take some time today to reflect on the gifts God has given you, and how you can use those gifts to bless others and give glory to God.
Listen to the full discussion below:
The Cale Clarke Show airs weekdays at 5:00 p.m. Central on Relevant Radio® and the Relevant Radio App.
