2 Keys to Self Discovery - Reviewing Your Life {Daring to DREAM}
Do you ever wonder, Who am I? What am I good at? Do I have talents and skills?Maybe you’d say, “I’m good at shopping for bargains,” and this sign (found outside a shop in Iowa) describes you!But you’re also good at many other things! God has chosen, loved, and gifted you with both human strengths and spiritual gifts. Everyone has strengths, but not everyone realizes this fact. And every Christian has one or more spiritual gifts, but not every believer knows and uses what God has given them.I often think about the story Jesus told about a man who entrusted his property to three servants. He gave them different talents (money) and expected them to work hard and give him a return on the money they received. Two of them invested the money—they did something with what they were given—and the owner was very pleased with them. But one of the servants decided just to bury his talent and do nothing with it. Which was not what the owner had in mind! (Matthew 25:14-30)
The talents described in Scripture symbolize the gifts and abilities God has given us. We don’t all receive the same capabilities or have the same spiritual bents. But we all are accountable to use what we’ve been given. If you’re not familiar with what the Bible teaches on spiritual gifts, let me encourage you to take half an hour and find a quiet place to read and think about what God is saying to you in 1 Corinthians 12. Identifying your gifts play an important part in Daring to Dream and discovering how God is leading you.To help you keep on learning how God has shaped you, take a little time to do these two simple exercises:
Take a piece of paper and list 10-15 things you love to do.
- Put a mark beside each one: A for alone. P for with people. AP—if both.
- Then number your most loved activities, with 5 being the highest.
Record 10 skills that you have.
- Place a * next to the skills you most enjoy.
- Place a + next to the skills you’re most proficient at.
- Number the skills that are most important to you. Think about why.
To discover more about how you're wired, ask yourself these questions after completing the steps above:
I learned that ________________________________________________________________
I realized that ________________________________________________________________
I was surprised that ____________________________________________________________
I was pleased that _____________________________________________________________
Let’s talk: How is God helping you dare to dream? Has He put thoughts and desires in your heart? I’d love to know. Share with me on Facebook or Twitter, or leave a comment below. Find me on Pinterest for more faith-building resources.
Next month’s Thrive and blog posts will focus on E—Exploring Your Options in our Daring to DREAM series. Sign up now, and get them right in your email box.
This post is part of my Daring to DREAM series. Click here to view all the posts in this series.
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Poppy SmithInternational speaker, multi-published author, Bible teacher, and spiritual coachInspiring Women to Thrive! Permission to use this article is granted provided the following credit is fully included.Poppy Smith is funny, warm, and passionate about helping women grow spiritually and personally so they experience the love and power of Christ in life’s ups and downs. A former teaching leader with Bible Study Fellowship, Poppy has a Masters in Spiritual Formation and ministers extensively as a retreat and conference speaker both in the US and around the world. For more information about Poppy’s heart, her books and ministry, please visit her website at www.poppysmith.com.