Discovering your passions and callings is foundational to success in life and business.
In fact, I see it as the key way to reaching the potential God has give each one of us.
Because I believe He has created each individual with talents and gifts. The purpose of these gifts is not self-gratification, although it is gratifying to discover and use them. The purpose of these gifts is to be of service to others, to bring them closer to Him.
Think about The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien. I was watching the movie one night while painting our schoolroom. It struck me how God used Tolkien to create these amazing characters that reflected the Father and the Son. Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, Sam and others are all pictures of a loving Heavenly Father and our Savior who sacrificed everything so we could be free from the grip of Satan (depicted as Sauron in the book and movie.)
During the movie, although I had watched it many times and read the book over and over again, I felt that God was drawing me closer to Him. I could see a glimpse of my Lord through the movie and it was like he was giving me a giant hug!
Obviously, God gifted Tolkien with writing. But He has gifted you and me, too. In Ephesians 2:10, it says that God created us in Christ Jesus for good works because we are His workmanship. Now in the Greek the word for workmanship is poema. That means we are God’s poem, we are God’s work of art, we are God’s masterpiece!
The question is, what will we do with these gifts? Will we bury them like the man in the parable of the talents? Or will we invest in the Kingdom? The men who invested their talents were given the same reward: they were told, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and given more responsibilities.
When it’s all said and done, that is the driving force of my life. At the end of it, when I face Jesus for the first time, I want Him to say that to me. I want to invest in His Kingdom and bring others closer to Him through the talents He has given me.
And I know that he who sows generously will reap generously. Sometimes it’s hard to put my stuff out there and risk rejection. I used to hold back a lot because I lacked self-confidence. I thought, who would want to hear from me? What do I have to offer?
But I’ve learned that if God believes in me, I need to believe in myself and the dreams He planted in me. I need to share it and let the chips fall where they may. Because I am pleasing Him alone. Yes, sometimes I am rejected, sometimes I fall, sometimes I want to quit. But He always helps me get back up again and keep moving forward in faith.
Why is this important in business? Because if you don’t identity your callings and your gifts, you will be risking failure. This is something I see frequently: a person gets excited about a business opportunity, jumps on it with little to no research or understanding in their unique God-given callings and gifts, and then gets bored. Later they find a new opportunity. When that fizzles out, they often must go back into the workforce.
So what about you? What are the gifts He has given you? Are you hiding them? Are you holding back? Or are you investing them in the Kingdom?
Let your talents shine for Jesus, and yes, you will have a sizzling brand and a dazzling future.
Because God wants all of our lives, not just a part, and He is the best business man that ever lived! He is far richer than we could ever imagine!
