Living the Life Only You Can Live

“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you.” Jeremiah 1:5 (MSG)

To live a life of purpose and meaning I need to think of what I do well—and find ways to do more of those things. Then think of what I don’t do well—and find ways to do less of those things.

God created me to be unique. He shaped me in a specific way for a special purpose only I can fulfill. In the Message paraphrase, God says, “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you” (Jeremiah 1:5).

No matter what, I can rest in the truth that God is working in my life and that he shaped me to succeed. He shaped me in advance for those plans. God’s plans for my life didn’t start the moment I was born. Those plans started before my birth, when the Bible says God shaped me in my mother’s womb. 

But here’s the best part. The way God shaped me reveals how he wants to use me.

So how do we (I) discover the unique way God made us (me)?

Use the acrostic SHAPE—my Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. These are the five things that make me, me. And, by looking at each of these areas, I can begin to understand what God wants me to do with my life.

Spiritual gifts are God-empowered abilities for serving him that are given only to believers. For instance, some gifts motivate me for ministry—like serving, teaching, encouraging, leading, giving, showing mercy, or offering biblical insight.

Heart refers to the bundle of desires, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections I have. It’s what I love to do and what I care about most.

Abilities are the natural talents I was born with. God wants me to do what I'm able to do.

Personality affects how and where I use my spiritual gifts and abilities. I'll use my gifts in ways that are different from anybody else.

Experiences teach me lessons that help me mature. They also help me minister to others going through similar experiences.

When God made me, he broke the mold—there is no one else like me. My prayer is that I will find freedom and renewed energy as I live and serve according to my SHAPE.

In summary:

God created me uniquely and with intention, shaping me before I was even born with holy plans for my life (Jeremiah 1:5 MSG). My purpose and calling are revealed through the way he designed me, which can be discovered by examining my SHAPE—my Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. Each of these factors shows how God wants to use me and helps me live a life of purpose, meaning, and impact. By leaning into what I do well and minimizing what I don’t, I can align more fully with God’s design for me, walking in freedom and renewed energy as I serve in the way only I can.

Bottom Line:

"God made me on purpose, for a purpose. Before I was born, He shaped me with unique gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences (my SHAPE). When I live from who He designed me to be, I find freedom, energy, and impact. There’s no one else like me—and that’s by God’s design."

Next steps:

Clarify and write out your own SHAPE profile (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences).

My Abilities Are God’s Map for My Life

In Hebrews 13:21 I read, “May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him." (NLT)

Different animals are designed to excel in specific areas, and they can’t be expected to do all the other things. A duck is made to be a duck—not anything else.

 

It’s the same for people. God has designed each person different from all the others. When I expect everyone to fit in the same mold, the result is frustration, discouragement, mediocrity, and failure.

God made me to be me. He has given me unique abilities, and he wants me to use them the way he intended.

If I’m wondering what God’s will is for my life? Look at my abilities. They’re my road map; they point me in the direction I should go. When I know what I’m good at, then I can know what God wants me to do with my life.

The Bible says, “May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him” (Hebrews 13:21 NLT).

Through my abilities, God has equipped me to do his will. As I use those abilities, I’ll start to see how he produces “every good thing” in my life.

In summary, different animals are designed to excel in specific areas. They can’t be expected to do all the other things. It’s the same for people. God has designed each of us different from all the others. If I expect everyone to fit in the same mold, the result is frustration, discouragement, mediocrity, and failure. God made me to be me. He has given me unique abilities, and he wants me to use them the way he intended. To find out what God’s will is for my life, I need to look at my abilities. They’re my road map; they point me in the direction I should go. When I know what I’m good at, then I can know what God wants me to do with my life. Through my abilities, God has equipped me to do his will. As I use those abilities, I’ll start to see how he produces “every good thing” in my life.

God works in me to make me the kind of person that would please him, and he equips me to do the kind of work that would please him. Allow God to change me from within and then use me to help others.

Why God Made Me Unique

In review of Isaiah 43:7 it says, “Bring to me all the people who are mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Bottom Line:

They are my own people, and I created them to bring me glory.”

What this means to me:

This verse reminds me that I am one of his people, He created and formed me to bring him glory. SHAPE is an acrostic that talks about the five things that make me, me. SHAPE is the way God wired me for my life. Every area of my life is influenced by the way I’m shaped.

Spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, experiences; these are the five things that make me, me. In that combination of spiritual gifts, I have heart, passion, and interests. I have these interests, because God gave them to me. Any interest I have, I received from God. He wired it into me. If everyone liked to do the same things, there would be a lot less accomplished in the world. So God made me unique, and there’s nobody else like me. This matters:

1. Because my SHAPE reveals God’s purpose for me.

The way you find out what God wants me to do with my life is to discover how he shaped me. But here’s the thing: God won’t force me to do his plan. I can waste your life. I can use it on all kinds of personal, self-centered things and totally miss God’s plan and purpose for my life. In fact, most people do. That’s the tragedy. And that’s why they’re so frustrated! They’re trying to be something somebody else wants them to be rather than what God wants them to be.

2. Because your SHAPE equips me to serve God.

There is a life mission that God has for me that nobody else on this planet can do. Maybe I’ve missed that mission. Maybe I’ve missed serving God. If so, “start today. Make the rest of my life the best of my life.” God will never ask me to do anything in life that he hasn’t already given me the ability to do. So look at my abilities, realize that the things I’m good is what God wants me to do.

3. Because life is a test.

This life is preparation for the next life in Heaven. God indicates, “This is a test. I’m testing you to see what you will do with what you’ve been given on Earth. Based on that, I will determine what I give you to do in Heaven for eternity.”

4. Because it shows God’s glory.

When I use my SHAPE and I do what God made me to do, it not only feels good, but it also makes God smile. God smiles when he looks down and sees someone using the talents that he gave.  Because they are using them for His glory.

Isaiah 43:7 says, “Bring to me all the people who are mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made” (NCV). If I didn’t bring glory to God, I wouldn’t be alive. God made me to enjoy me!

Celebrating My Uniqueness

In summary of Romans 9:20 it says,

"Who are you, a mere human, to talk back or argue with God our creator.  We have no right to question the creator on 'why he made me like this?’”

Bottom line:

The created should not question the creator on “why we were made the way just the way we are?”

What this means to me:

Often I don’t understand why God has made me the way I am.  I”m not sure what my real purpose for being here is.  This passage reminds me is that I should not question God on the uniqueness of how he put me together.  God has a purpose for making me the way I am.  My shape (skills, heart, attitude, personality, experiences)  was sovereignly determined by God for his purposes.  So I shouldn't reject it, instead of trying to reshape myself to be like someone else, I need to learn how to celebrate the shape God has given only to me. "Christ has given each of us special abilities - whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts." (Ephesians 4:7 LB)  Part of accepting my shape is recognizing my limitations. Nobody is good at everything, and no one is called to be everything. We all have defined roles. So I should be envious of the runner in the lane next to me?.  No I just need to focus on finishing my race. God wants me to enjoy using the shape he has given me.   The enemy will always try to steal the joy of service from me by; tempting me to compare my ministry with others, and by tempting me to conform my ministry to the expectations of others. Both of these are deadly traps that will only distract me from serving in the ways God intended. Whenever I feel as if I’m losing my joy in ministry, I need to start considering if either one of these temptations is the cause.