Be the Light
“So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that your commendable works will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
I’m a personality test nerd. There, I said it. The first time I ever took a personality test was in college at Florida State College at Jacksonville (back then FCCJ.) It was the Myers-Briggs test and I was honestly blown away by how accurately it pinned me. Rather than boxing me in, the test actually helped me to have a greater understanding of how both myself and others are wired. It highlighted simple things like why an extravert thinks out loud while an introvert has to isolate themselves to process information. I’m an introvert by the way, (ISFJ according to Myers-Briggs). I often think it’s just one example of God’s sense of humor that he would call an introvert into a pastoral role.
Years after taking that first personality test, I discovered the Enneagram (I’m a 9!), which helped me understand even more how I interact with other types of people socially and relationally. Myers-Briggs and Enneagram are both fantastic tools to learn more about oneself and how you interact with the world around you. But, I have to tell you by far my favorite personality test is the StrengthsFinder.
Just so you have an idea of what you’ll learn from this test, my top five strengths are Developer, Positivity, Harmony, Belief, and Consistency. To apply that practically, I should really be focusing on pouring into other people, keeping a positive attitude, being a peacemaker, having a strong moral compass and making sure things are fair. But, focusing on all of those positive things is easier said than done. Like many of us, I sometimes end up focusing on the things that I’m not so good at or better yet, the things God didn’t design and purpose me to do. One study I read showed that 70% of people fail to focus on what they do best. If that doesn’t hit home, I don't know what will! But, we’ll come back to that. For now, let me nerd out just a little bit more…
The description of the StrengthsFinder test is in the name...it simply helps you find and focus on your strengths. I understand that may seem like an obvious statement. Don’t we all already have a pretty good idea of our strengths and wouldn’t we already be focusing on honing them? You would think so, but I’ve discovered that’s not necessarily true and a lot of us fall into something called the “Rudy Effect.”
You probably all know the story of Daniel Eugene “Rudy” Ruettiger. He inspired the 1993 classic “Rudy,” the inspiring tale of a young man overcoming all odds to fulfill his dream of playing football at Notre Dame. We all love this story. It inspires us to conquer the world! It teaches us that if we put our mind to it, we can do anything! But, I’m here to tell you that’s probably not the best use of our time, energy, effort, and God-given talents. Rudy Ruettiger was 5 foot 6 inches, 165 pounds. He worked his tail off and was finally able to play in one game in the final game of his senior season. I’m going out on a limb in saying that I don’t think football was Rudy Ruettiger’s strength. What if he spent all that time, energy and effort on something that was an actual strength of his?
We can all be guilty of the Rudy Effect. We especially see this as parents when report cards come home. Our child can bring home all A’s and one C. What are we really going to focus on? The C, of course! Studies show that 77% of parents think student’s lowest grades deserve the most time and attention, instead of giving encouragement in the grades they do well in. Parents and teachers alike tend to reward excellence with apathy, rather than taking the opportunity to invest more time in the areas where a child has the potential for greatness. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but if you fail math all throughout school, you’re probably not going to be an accountant. Maybe! There’s always one. But, it’s not likely. So, what am I trying to tell you here? Brace yourself...you actually cannot be anything you want to be. But, you definitely can be a lot more than who you already are. (I know what you’re thinking...really keeping it positive, huh Pastor Brian...isn’t that one of your strengths?)
The Bible says in Proverbs 16:9 that in their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. It also says in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. Listen, God has a specific plan and purpose for you. But (and this is a big but), it’s our choice to take the step and partner with Him to achieve that purpose.
Part of achieving that purpose is discovering how we are uniquely wired and what strengths God has given each of us. This is why we spend an entire week of class in Vitals (shameless plug...go sign up on the Bold City Church app today!) focused specifically on the participants through both a spiritual gifts test and a personality test. We want to help you discover how God designed you and what your specific purpose in life is. Like Pastor Jason always says, you can find the general will of God in the Bible, but you’ll discover the specific will of God in your secret place. The Holy Spirit will download knowledge and clarity about your purpose as you grow closer to Him and spend more time with Him. Once you get that word from the Holy Spirit, you need to make sure it aligns with scripture and then get godly counsel from those folks in your life that you trust most.
Want to apply this in your own life? Here’s some homework on how to find your God-given purpose:
Find yourself in the secret place. What is the Holy Spirit telling you about your purpose?
Take some personality tests. Shoot, take them all. Myers Briggs, Enneagram, StrengthsFinders, etc.
What are you passionate about? What energizes you?
What are you naturally really good at? (But, not perfect! No one does anything perfect all the time.)
And then probably the most difficult part...once you figure it out, apply it. Whatever you do, don’t waste your God-given talents. Don’t keep them to yourself. God has equipped you to be a light!