Valuing and Sharing our Life Experiences-Denny Barnett

In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren notes that every believer in Christ has a unique SHAPE or identity. SHAPE is an acronym for Spiritual gifts, Heart (what we are passionate about), Abilities, skills that we are born with or acquire, Personality, and Experiences. What is amazing about this is that no two Christians have the exact same SHAPE, just as no two people possess the same fingerprint, voiceprint, heartbeat, etc. In other words, we are each uniquely created in the image of God. 

God uses our unique SHAPE as Christians to accomplish the works He created for us before we were even born. We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). 

God uses our life experiences - the good and the bad, to achieve His Kingdom purposes in our lives for His glory, for our good, and as a blessing and testimony to others of God’s love, faithfulness, grace, mercy, and goodness. The Bible is replete with the life stories and experiences of individuals from all walks of life and a common theme among many of these individuals is that they did not possess great intellect, skills, or abilities - yet despite their limitations (or perhaps because of their limitations), they accomplished great things. For example, when God first called Moses to lead Israel out of bondage in Egypt, Moses asked God to send someone else (Exodus 4:13); When God called Gideon to be a military leader, he responded by pointing out that his clan was the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh and that he was the least in his family (Judges 6:15). Ruth, a Moabite widow, was redeemed and her son Obed would become King David’s grandfather.

Whenever I hear the testimony of Christians and see how God has transformed their lives, it serves as a reminder that I serve an amazing God who is truly wonderful in all His ways (Isaiah 25:1, 28:29). Looking back on my life from the time that I came to faith in Jesus Christ as a young teen, I often think about my life experiences and ‘see’ retrospectively how God has worked and continues to work to accomplish His Kingdom purposes in my life. This is why it is important for us to share our testimony and life experiences with others because it is one way we grow spiritually as individuals, bear witness to the transforming power of God in our lives, and build up the community of faith. 

Consider sharing your testimony and life experiences with others - your story is unique and will glorifyGod and be a source of blessing to others.

Denny Barnett