Day 30: Shaped for Serving God

I have fallen in love with this song.

I'm glad I came to school today (I have again been contemplating a mental health day, but Feb. 15th is just around the corner. . .) but I hope the full moon effects wear off by tomorrow; I love my kids most of the time, but full moons are always tough (and this was the biggest one, which might mean the longest affect. . . I'm sure by Wednesday everything will clear up).

I had some weird heart/chest thing going on last night as I laid down for bed. . . but I think I'll attribute it to the fact that I ate an entire frozen pizza for dinner at 8:30 at night.

And in other news, my left shoe has a squeak in it.

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This has been one of my favorite chapters so far. All of them have had some kind of impact on me, but this week's theme is exactly what I've been wondering about for the past month or so.

The analogy of an architect making a building is perfect, because what the building will be used for determines how it is constructed. It is definitely an issue of function over form. But we have to take it backwards. We and our desires, emotions, skills, and interests are the form we have been given. So where then do we find the purpose that fits those attributes? The book uses SHAPE as an acrostic (SH today, APE tomorrow ) (hahaha).

First is Spiritual gifts. The passages from Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians deal with this topic. We have to remember these are gifts, and aren't about what we earn or deserve but what is given to us. Also, if you look, none of these gifts are self-serving. We don't get spiritual mind control powers or telekenesis or laser eyes (I had to say it). No, we might be teachers, leaders, encouragers, interpreters of tongues, etc. (go read the verses if you didn't already!). Also, this is only 1/5 of the total picture.

Second is Heart. Our heart is the source of all motivation; anything that we want to do comes from there. Sometimes we are forced to do things we don't want to, and guess what? Our heart is not in it. The things that we instinctively care about are our God-given "emotional heartbeats." God wants me to feel passionately about music! That is such an exciting statement. We shouldn't ignore those interests, but figure out how we can use them to serve He that gave them to us! The two signs of heart (enthusiasm and effectiveness) are pretty good gauges for us to be able to tell if we are really following our heart. "When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you or challenge you or check up on you. You do it for the sheer enjoyment. You don't need rewards or applause or payment, because you love serving in this way. . . . . Passion drives perfection. If you don't care about a task, it is unlikely that you will excel at it. In contrast, the highest achievers in any field are those who do it because of passion, not duty or profit. . . Meaning is far more important than money." Such wise words. . . I know my heart is not always in my job, but it is in what it will become. Yeah, there's going to be a tough couple of years, but soon, I'll be doing what I LOVE. The All County rehearsals proved that I still love it, besides the fact that playing the piano is one of the most exciting things that I ever do (I was sightreading accompaniments earlier and getting pretty geeky about them; rehearsal tomorrow!). And I get paid to do it at school! And with the music ministry at SBC, yesterday morning was one of the greatest performances I have ever done, not because it was techincally great or even musically fantastic (I am not a real singer), but because I got to do it for God and serve His people. I know how excited I felt, so hopefully someone in the audience picked up that spirit from me, and even if they didn't, I know that God knows my heart. At one point I realized how many times I said the words "alive", "worthy", "holy," and "hallelujah", but you know what? They don't get old, no matter how many times I say/sing it.

Point to Ponder: I was shaped for serving God.
I think I've said something like this before, but I didn't seek out the passion I have for music and for passing music onto others via teaching. In fact, based on this chapter, it is not really about our desires as it is the affinity that God gives us for different things. I know I am blessed to have the talent and love for music that I have, because I know so many people that do not have seem to have that zeal for anything. The issue isn't that they don't have it, but they have not yet found it. I think that sometimes God reveals Himself to us through that journey, and other times He wants us to take steps of faith in Him before He reveals what gets us excited about life.

Verse to Remember: 1 Corinthians 12:6- "God works through different men in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves his purposes through them all." J. B. Phillips New Testament in Modern English
Everyone is important, and no one is more important or more "necessary" than anyone else. The "less humble" the position, the more humble we should be in to be serving in that way. And all of it leads to the glorification of God anyway!

Question to Consider: In what way can I see myself passionately serving others and loving it?
MUSIC, which I am already doing. But is that the whole picture for me? I'm not entirely sure. This is what I have been exploring, and what I'll continue to explore.