I was talking with a friend recently, and I was reminded of a beautiful story that one of the speakers shared at Summit, the conference my family attended last summer.
Sled dogs were bred to pull sleds. It is their job, but it is also their delight. They love it. It is what they were designed to do, and they are never as happy as when they are doing it.
It is their pleasure to do it, and to obey the voice of their master is their delight.
Their master does not have to yell or shout commands to them. He must only barely whisper an instruction, and they obey.
When you are doing what you were designed to do, your Master can guide you with a whisper.
When you are out of tune with the culture, and in tune with Him, when you are listening for His guidance, He can lead with that still small voice.
The Lord has given each of us gifts and talents, and these talents are often manifested in things that we love to do. These things “return energy” to us, where we give of ourselves, but we are given back manifold spiritually for our efforts.
Now I am not saying that we must only do things that we like to do. Christ has also called us to do hard things for His glory and for the sake of His kingdom.
However, He has also called us to discover and cultivate that thing, or things, that He has equipped us personally to do for His kingdom. What is something that you love to do, something that “returns energy” to you? Is it worthwhile and redeeming, does it bless others, and does it make a difference for eternity? If the answer is “yes”, then do it, and do it with all your heart.
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When you are doing what you were designed to do, your Master can guide you with a whisper.
Thank you Bryant for this timely post. Just today I read about the parable of the talents. Thank you! It was good for me to read!
The thing is, to find what it is that refreshes you. :)
thanks Bryant!
Hello!
After reading your post, I was reminded a very poignant analogy from my youth pastor in high school:
Freedom is the ability to do what you were designed to do. For a train, freedom is the tracks on which it can function appropriately. To remove the tracks is also to remove the train’s freedom.
As God’s creation, freedom can be found in living a life honoring and pleasing to him, through the cleansing blood of His Son. We’ve got it so wrong–we fight for what we think is freedom, when really we’re only enslaving ourselves further to things of this world.
Thanks for your post! I enjoyed reading it! :)
~lydia
Dear Bryant,
I haven’t been on your blog in so long, it’s good to be back! This truth you’ve shared is so true! The trick is doing the hard things (smile) even when you don’t want to!!!
Did you get my letter?
Elaina
Elaina,
Yes, I did recieve your letter! Thank you very much! I’ve missed corresponding with you. I am working on a letter to you! :)