Okay, I said Iwould be back after the first of the year and here I am. I had a great holiday season and am looking forward to a year full of the great stuff churches are made of. As I begin to assess last year and then look forward to next year it is with a new search. I have made mention of the personal mission statement so want to take some time and maybe get some help from all of you as I work through the questions.
I am as usual stuck -- it is with the first question which is also usual. This one asks me something I have had diffuculty with all my life. "What am I good at?"
There is a multitude of answers that come to my mind as I question myself. I do lots of things and get comments about them. Some are good and some are not so good but how do I sort all this out.
Really my problem is that when I say I am good at something is that an arrogant thing??? Because I think I am good at something am I missing the point?? Am I really good at something but maybe don't like to do that so I say I am not good at it??
God calls us to his plan not ours so I am left with a great deal of questions and very few anwers. I hope some will post so I get help with this and maybe we can journey together, seeking to find each of our own mission statement.
Pastor WaynO
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4 comments:
Hey , just a thought. Maybe sometimes humility isn't saying you are not good at something. Maybe (since God gives you your abilities) true humility is saying,"you know, I am pretty good at this" and using it for His glory.
I know what you mean about God's plan not ours and I believe there are times when God takes us in a totally new direction that we aren't comfortable with to teach us dependence. I also believe that God gives us the gifts of certain abilities to use for His Glory.
I guess the hard thing is to find balance and not get self reliant.
I know go back and forth about a lot of this stuff and I have found myself in a totally foreign landscape over the past few months. I am really excited about what God is doing though and I think this year is going to be really cool ..
Happy New Year!!!
Having a personal mission statement, I believe is a great idea. As was stated in an earlier post it would help to not be flapping in the wind. As for your dilemma with the first question which I have been asked at various interviews for jobs. I too have struggled to answer that. Since I have had to answer that question, I have realized there is nothing wrong with stating what you are good at, because it is your gift from God.If we acknowledge that what we do is for God's glory and that it comes from him, it is not being arrogant. Matthew 5:16 In the same way,let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Isn't letting your light shine the same as what you do good. We all have different gifts. I think if we become arrogant about what we think of ourselves, God has a way of humbling us. Ask God what you are good at. See what he says.
This scripture has helped me a lot.I Peter 5:8-10 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion,looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
It seems that the closer I get to God. Having quiet time, studying the Bible,etc.the harder my life gets. It's more like road blocks get thrown up at the worst places, or some of my worst traits come out when I need to be a good witness.I think the enemy uses these things in our life to trip us up or convince us that if we say we are good at something we are arrogant or we are boasting.He plants doubt, but we have to be confident in what God is telling us. I hope this makes sense and helps. I am thinking about my own mission statement. By the way what goes into a mission statement?
Thanks for your input as it helps to know a person is not alone in this. Shaun that helps and is what I have put forth to do. I am I believe good at preaching and can teach others.
Deb I will walk through this mission statement on the blog, one question at a time.
WaynO
I don't think it's being arrogant to recognize your strengths and what you're good at! The Bible tells us that God gives us ALL gifts. I think that part if our obligation to Him is to use the gifts He has given us, and to use them, we must first recognize them.
As for something you're good at, I would say, "caring." The first time I talked to you, when you called because you were worried about my not being there for my speaking engagement, I felt your genuine care and concern. And I felt comfortable talking with you IMMEDIATELY upon meeting you--and that is definitely a gift, especially for a pastor who many times has to forge a relationship with people immediately upon meeting them under very stressful circumstances.
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