What’s your God-given S.H.A.P.E?

August 11, 2021

Rudy was a yellow-naped Amazon parrot, hand-raised by a woman from North Carolina.

In this environment, Rudy learned to mimic and “talk” with his owner’s exact accent and tone. It was hilarious! 

A more far-reaching impact of this human imprinting, however, was that Rudy never learned to fly. Consequently, he spent his whole life without so much as even trying to spread his wings and doing the very thing he was created to do – fly.  Instead, he would climb down from his perch and stroll around on the floor.  

A parrot's “walk” is pretty entertaining. Why? Because they were built for the sky, not the ground.  Rudy was missing critically important truths about who he was and examples of what he could do.  As a result, he was left literally grounded. He was completely unaware of just how much this limited his daily life. 

Rudy shows us that what we choose to believe and the examples we follow influence both the way we live and our life’s impact. 

For so much of my life, I was a little like Rudy. I didn’t understand that God had uniquely S.H.A.P.E.–d me (Spiritual Gifts, Heart/passions, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences) to do good work, work that He specifically designed me to do (Ephesians 2:10). Instead, I ended up trying to do things I was never created to do, and most likely missing out on things I was made to do. 

Like Rudy – I was experiencing only a fraction of the life God had intended for me.  

When I finally understood this truth: that even before God made me, He had in mind the good works that he wanted me to do and made me in such a way that I could do them, it was both freeing and enlightening! 

Paul tells us that this work of God in us is like a masterpiece. My role is to discover what that looks like for me and to live it out. 

But this next part is critical for us to understand. The purpose of our God-given S.H.A.P.E. is to represent Him and His ways in the world – in every sphere of life (work, family, relationships, community, etc). 

So, my  S.H.A.P.E. may mean that one of my roles is to be an engineer –  that’s how God made me. Therefore, I seek to be an engineer and fulfill the higher purpose as God’s image-bearer, by bringing His presence through my presence, His goodness through my good work and inviting others to do the same. 

The great part about living on purpose each day means that wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, I am being who God made me to be. 

What’s your God-given S.H.A.P.E.? Ask God to help you identify and step into your unique S.H.A.P.E. for His glory. Experience the freedom of being exactly who God made you to be!

Have questions about what it looks like to fully participate in God's kingdom story in and through your everyday life and work? Check out our Scatter Foundations Video Series or signup for our Scatter Email

By Andrew Scott

Co-founder, Scatter Global

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