The Shape of Your Own Uniqueness

I read Brian Harbour's, 17 Roadblocks on the Highway of Life And How to Move Around Them, last night. I got to roadblock # 13, the indecisiveness roadblock, and ran into a quote that arrested my attention. Harbour talked about John Claypool and how he made ministry decisions. Claypool asked himself a series of quesions. One of them was the "gifts" question. The gifts question asked, "Which decision is in line with the shape of my own uniqueness?" When I read Claypool's quote I thought about a series of questions that I was asked during a focused living retreat. I think they will help you understand your S.H.A.P.E much better -

1. The people and circumstances that have most shaped my life and ministry are...
2. When I think about ministry in the future, the area of ministry I would love to concentrate upon is______________. Why?
3. The qualities of character I most admire and desire for God to shape into my life are ___________. Why?
4. People who know me well believe I am most used by God when I am involved in ________. Why?
5. For the perspective of my personal life, the activities I do that I feel are making my greatest contribution for God's kingdom are_____________. Why?
6. The activities of my life that contribute most to God's kingdom are__________. Why?
7. Though I may have dismissed the thougth many times for various reasons, I sometimes feel I really should be doing______________. Why?
8. When people talk about a passion for ministry, I often begin to think about giving my life to accomplishing __________________. Why?

Spend some time exploring these quesions. You may find youself standing on holy ground!