Hate-filled words become harm-designed packages. Let's turn away from that topic. After writing The Un-Civil War, a friend asked me, "How did you find time to write in the midst of moving?" Good question. It wasn't easy. But here's how it works.
Writing never feels arduous although much work goes into it, especially the editing. To me, writing feels like something I was born to do. I've said, "When I write, I feel the pleasure of God." Over 30 years, I've done hundreds of newspaper articles and a dozen books. I have ideas for scores more.
Eric Liddell, the British Olympic champion whose brave story was told in the movie, "Chariots of Fire," famously said, "God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure!"
Feeling the pleasure of God should not be a strange experience. Whenever you are in the groove of God's grace, the flow of work is synchronized with your talents, desires, training, and purpose. You're wearing the armor the Lord made for you; not chafing in an unnatural role. Work becomes a holy thing for you as it agrees with the way and the why of your identity. When your identity and your vocation are aligned, work feels like play. The satisfying result reflects your calling which glorifies God.
When you try something outside of the realm of your purpose, you'll feel the stress. Like lifting something too heavy, you'll feel the effort and injure yourself. Ask yourself, "What am I designed to do?"
Sometimes we don't know the answer right away. Other times we discover our path early on, like a serendipity. There is a mysterious interplay of human effort plus faith in God's grace that can enable us to tap into heaven's ability to perform natural tasks with almost supernatural ease. The result is beyond normal.
I believe there is a realm of labor for each of us that's inside our divinely designed boundary. In that role you'll have the capacity to achieve more than the average person and make it look easy. It will feel fulfilling. The person that is fortunate enough to integrate their source of income with their "reason for being" will never have to work a day in their life. They love their work and would do it for free, yet it produces their livelihood.
May the Lord help us all find our place in his oikos, his economy. This place of service is like the naturally occurring ebb and flow of work that family members and servants engage in as pictured in a large household in biblical times. The economy revolved around functional relationships. As they served one another with their talents and abilities, they in turn were amply provided for. When we serve other people with our gifts -- the God-given talents we are blessed with -- we are rewarded financially.
I wasn't born tall, so I'm not good at basketball. I have no musical capacity. I am laughable when I try to carry a tune or clap on beat. My body was never bulked up with muscle so physical jobs are not easy for me. I miss the young, lean years of a bygone era. But I could do gymnastics. I could run. I could walk long-distance treks. But, I loved to read; therefore, I can write.
You may find your area of gifting is by realizing what you are not good at. Your limitations are a clue. Embrace them. We aren't meant to be alike. Be unique, but be inter-dependent. Others need what you can do and vice-versa.
RON WOOD IS A WRITER AND MINISTER. CONTACT HIM AT [email protected] OR VISIT WWW.TOUCHEDBYGRACE.ORG. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.
Religion on 11/07/2018