You are special. Whether you know it or not, and even if you don’t feel you are. You are unique, with gifts and talents that position you to add value to the world and serve other people.
You are designed to do good work.
Understanding Your Design
Your strengths make you better at your job, and this synergy between design and work is best utilized when you are doing what you were fashioned to do.
Over decades of managing people, hiring many dozens for various positions, I came to rely on three simple interview questions to help determine the right fit between design and work:
- What are you good at?
- What do you like to do?
- What gives you satisfaction?
In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren offers another great tool for aligning how we are designed with what we do. He uses the acrostic S-H-A-P-E to suggest we take into account our:
- Spiritual gifts
- Heart
- Abilities
- Personality
- Experiences
Applying your particular talents to your vocation will make you better at work, so it is a win/win for both you and your company. It will help you find purpose and be effective, energizing you on the job and bringing the most value to the organization.
Designed to Do Good Work
What you may not realize is that the same talents that help you at work can be put to good use in the community and at church as well.
Years ago, when I was involved with an inner city ministry, I learned that strengths I took for granted on the job—planning, project management, organizing teams—were immensely valuable in that environment. Such organizations are often run by people with great passion and commitment, but perhaps without some of the talents commonly found in business.
Recently, I heard Bob Lupton make this point to dramatic effect. Bob is an author of books including Renewing the City, and his life work has been in rebuilding urban neighborhoods. He was speaking to a group of city business leaders when he energized them by saying, “God has uniquely gifted some people with the expertise for deal-making, and most of them do not realize they can put that talent to work for God.”
Many in the room were excellent deal makers—they were negotiators such as business owners, developers, and attorneys or in finance or sales—but they may have never connected that particular strength with serving in their community. Bob brought out that God needs deal-makers, and he can use them to help him do his work here on earth.
God asks us to be good stewards of the resources we have been given, and those include our workplace talents. He wants us to do our best at our job, and see that as a ministry in itself, and he invites us to be of service in our community. The same skills and experiences can apply in both areas. God speaks through his design, and he does much of his work through us, so doesn’t it make sense to leverage how those two things work together?
You are special, with your own gifts and talents, and you can be part of God’s plan in your workplace and community. Because you are designed for good work.
Question: What is one vocational activity you feel you are designed to do?
Action: Write down what you are good at, what you like to do, and what gives you satisfaction.
