“Do you want to read the prologue?” My son asked. I stopped what I was doing and nodded my head gently, trying to be as casual as possible. It is not often that I get to read what my son is writing while he is writing it. He often hesitates to share his stories until he is near the completion of them. Pushing the computer toward me, I began to read. The words ran like an effortless stream around bends and corners, leading me through the set up of the story line.
When I got to the end I could only think about one thing: this boy is meant to write.
It is inspiring, especially at such a young age, to see how his writing flows so naturally from his mind to the page. It’s what he was made to do.
We all have a gifting like this inside of us. For some it is fixing broken machines, for others it’s helping fix broken hearts. Some sing, some program computers, some cook, some decorate rooms, and some teach from a pulpit.
And guess what? These gifts are not a surprise to God. In fact, He authored them, and desires for us to use them to impact, change, and better His world.
For we are Christ’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Eph. 2:10
The Greek word for handiwork is “poiema,” which is where we get the English word, poem. Poiema is only used two times in the Bible – that’s it! And He uses one of those times to tell us that we are His poem – His art. Isn’t that beautiful? God fashioned us for purpose, and when we are in motion in that work, we are writing God’s graceful prose.
Eric Liddel, the Olympic cross-country runner on whom the classic movie Chariots of Fire was based, says “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
What he was saying is that running is his poetry. And it became a worldwide platform for him to glorify God and draw others to faith. His running was both an act of worship and an act of obedience in living out his purpose.
What is your poetry? Sometimes we do not recognize it because it comes so easily that we don’t consider it a gift.
Sometimes we simply cannot accept that we are God’s masterpiece. We feel like a lonely painting on a forgotten canvas tossed to Goodwill rather than an artist’s magnum opus at the Louvre.
But that is exactly what God says we are. We are His greatest creation – the crown jewel.
If you do not yet know how He has created you with unique gifts and abilities, spend some time asking these questions:
In college I took a class called “Physics for Poets.” It was a course designed for people like me who simply did not get science, but needed to take the requirement to graduate. I believe that if God wanted me to be a world-changer in the field of science, He would have made me good at it. As I learned in that class with the upmost clarity, He didn’t, and that is not where my passions lie either.
Instead, people are my heartbeat. I can sit and listen to others’ stories for hours and never tire of it. It stirs my heart with passion and excitement when I consider how I can connect with people in authentic, life-giving ways.
Whatever our calling, of one truth we can be sure: If God calls us, He will also equip us to do the work He already planned for us to do. We are worthy of His calling because He is able to do more than we can imagine. And His strength is made perfect in us when we are weak. Our part is to stay on our knees before Him and simply live the poetry He is writing.
I’d love to know, how do you lean into your gifts and take the next step you feel God is leading you to take? How do you encourage others to do the same?
