Shape Week 4-Redefining Shape

It is part of human psychology that we are a classifying species. We give names and titles to things and spend our time trying to define what we are and are not. This is not a bad thing for the most part, of course. It is how we understand and interpret the world, how we gain understanding from others. As Christians, however, what can be a harmful tendency in the Kingdom regarding spiritual gifts is when we try and compartmentalize or classify the Holy Spirit’s movements.

               

  This week, Pastor Aaron continued the “Shape” series, discussing the ways in which our “puzzle piece” fits into the body of Christ. There were many spiritual gifts described; from missions, to administration, to music, to mercy, to teaching, to encouragement, to everything else (found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4). But it was not necessarily the descriptions of these gifts, as it was the truth that covered each of them that spoke to me. At one point, Pastor Aaron made an example of the pastoral position in the church today, recognizing that “preacher” and “pastor” are not synonymous, though closely related. Hear that? It’s the sound of jaws hitting the floor in the majority of America. While we have many positions and titles within the church world today, it is important to understand that though these are often accompanied by spiritual gifts, the positions are not the gifts themselves.

              

  I believe that many of us (myself included) have at some point, or currently are ignoring or minimizing our gifts because they do not fit into the specific titles we see all the time. As a college student who is constantly being asked to assign herself a title for her future, I am all too familiar with this scramble to shove our “piece” in the picture somewhere before we look too lost. What I have learned, though, is if you try and fit a square peg into a round hole, you CAN do it. You can jam and twist that sucker in there until it is indeed in the round hole. But to do this means the peg becomes damaged. The sharp corners become worn down, it gets scratched up and dulled—it is barely fitting into its role, and it is no longer as effective at the thing for which it was intended.

             

  I personally can recall a point in time where I was a bass player for the youth group at Freedom. Now of course, this essentially happened because our only real bassist was on his way to graduation (shoutout to Joe Harrier III), and no one was wrong for asking me to learn or to play; no one forced me into the round hole of musicianship. I remember, however, being antsy for practices to end and not wanting to practice, even though my knowledge of the instrument was sufficient. Eventually, I created in myself a lackluster for serving, which is one of my actual spiritual gifts. Yes, my peg was able to fit, but simply having the ability to serve did not make this position the right fit for me. Thankfully, we serve the Maker of all creation, who is an excellent sculptor. Through devotion, prayer, and being intentional about identifying and growing our spiritual gifts, He can reform all of us exhausted little square pegs to be as effective as we were meant to be.

  This week, I encourage you to let go of the restraints your own mind has put on what the Holy Spirit can do through you, or what kind of gifts you might possess. It can be difficult, as we all want to understand everything, but God works in ways that are often mysterious to us, and trust and surrender are so important in that. When we lay down our own desired titles at the cross, we lay the groundwork for building our true identity as part of the body of Christ.

Written by: Brianna Vanderveen

Edited by: Brigit Edwards