GET IN SHAPE!

Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them

Luke 12:37

What kind of shape are you in? I don’t mean physical shape or financial shape. I mean what shape has your life taken. How are you shaped? Are you shaped like a caregiver?
A mentor? A teacher? A Leader?

You see, we are all shaped by the Lord in a particular way. And you are no exception. You have been shaped by God to fulfill His needs here on earth. Yes, every day you are surrounded by important situations, large and small, in which you can play a vital role.

Just think of the possibilities you will discover if you set your mind to continually seek opportunities to inspire, help, heal, free and encourage others throughout your day. Jesus needs you along with Him on this wonderful adventure and you can begin right now. How? Let me tell you a little.

A short time ago in Cambridge, Massachusetts, an extraordinarily well crafted red granite bench mysteriously appeared in a public park. And no one, except the person who placed it there, knew where it came from. Not only is this a beautiful bench, but it also has inscribed upon it a passage from Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel Orlando. Carved into the stone are the words, "There are wild birds' feathers--the owls, the nightjars. I shall dream wild dreams. I should lie at peace here with only the sky above."

It is estimated that the bench weighs 600 pounds and sits peacefully at the bottom of a small hill by a pond. So, in order to place it where they did, the mysterious givers had to haul the heavy bench down a steep embankment for it to be placed in the perfect spot.  Obviously, they were in fine physical and spiritual shape!

I love silent gestures like that. I think it takes a special kind of hero to quietly enter a situation and make it better than it was before simply by making people’s lives better than they were before. At this very moment you have the same kind of opportunity to be a hero in someone’s life. Because there are always creative ways to fill the needs and heal the hurts of those around you.

But, you must be vigilant. You must be actively looking for the kinds of situations that you can influence with whatever gifts you posses. And while you should act upon any invitation or opportunity God has set before you, remember that He will not ask you to do something that you don’t have the ability to do.

Is something you see out of your league or beyond your knowledge and gifts? Don’t worry. The Lord has placed it there for a reason. Pick up the phone, send an email, do whatever it takes to move the message along to those who have the exact shape to fill that kind of gap. You have a role to play. Sometimes you get the call. Sometimes you make the call. Either way, you’ve done your part. Remember, it took more than one person to haul that 600 pound stone bench through the park!

Jesus has confidence in you. Has anyone ever told you that? It’s something you need to know because there is so much He needs you to do. And He absolutely will not ask you to do something you do not have the gifts to fulfill. He won’t try to put a round peg into a square whole. He knows what shape you are in!

Start today by thinking creatively. You only need to ask Jesus how He needs you to serve. Ask Him how the shape you are in can fill the gaps in the lives of His people.

This Week’s Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for making me the way I am. Please make me keenly aware of what gifts you have given me and how I can put them to work for you. Open my eyes to the needs around me and open my mind to the blessings you are ready to bring upon them. Give me Your strength so that I may forever prepared to serve You when called upon. Allow me to always hear Your call on my life and give me the strength to act. In your name I pray. Amen.