Day 9: Eagle or Owl?

6.5.10
Day 9: Am I an Eagle or an Owl?

I’ve attending the Willow Creek Leadership Summit in years past, where Bill Hybels talked on discovering your “Holy Discontent.” From memory, discovering this “zone” of service, a follower of Christ would discover what gives them the greatest sense of calling and passion. For instance, some people get all riled up when social injustices are discussed, and thus could conclude their holy discontent has something to do with social injustice. I remember thinking during this talk, “what is MY Holy Discontent?”

At the time, I served in the children’s ministry at our family’s church. I recall feeling compelled to show the love of Christ to kids who may not otherwise have seen it. I would take my drama character and gain the attention of kids with it. Then would take extra time to tell them Jesus loves them. I would spend time with them in the small group classrooms, and lead Bible discussions with them, in “kid talk” languages, so they understood how much God loves them.

Now, in a book I just read, I’ve learned Ralph Waldo Emerson talked about discovering your “divine discontent.” He describes it on the flip side of my understanding of “Holy Discontent” as a state of knowing that what you are doing is NOT walking out of the life plan God has for us. When we serve, work, or lead in a capacity that simply is NOT suited for our unique gift set, we feel unfulfilled and unsettled. For instance, someone may be wired by God to be an amazing artist… but if they choose to be a doctor, they would be serving out side of God’s perfect calling/zone for them. This would be an illustration of “divine discontent.”

May prayer on this journey is that God would reveal to me what he has wired me for. I know that it is not likely I will have an angel come down and hand me a strategic game plan for my life, however. The good news is, I believe God has given me many clues, hints, and direction arrows along the way.

In a vision the LORD gave me a little more than a year ago, I learned that the “overlap” of our skills, our passions, our spiritual gifts, and an opportunity that suites those would ignite the greatest level of energy and effectiveness within us. As I processed this vision, the question keep coming up… “am I living in this overlap?”

Here’s what I do know: I have skills & abilities, personality tendencies, and dreams & passions. I have opportunities as well, and as of recent I’ve discovered that opportunities could change frequently throughout my life. Here’s a quick list of what God has revealed to me thus far:

Skills:
• Strategic planning
• Communicating
• Networking & relationships
• Innovation and creativity
• Street smart business savvy
• Public speaking / presentations
• Financial management, goal setting
• Selling, prospecting
• Coaching / mentoring at root issue
• Startup business / groups
• Give “burst/thrust energy”

Personality tendencies:
• I’m a natural high “D” personality style
• I naturally take charge of a group effort, without it feeling forced
• I have been wired with a higher tolerance for risk, while calculating the reward/benefit
• I am strategic thinker, who can guide group discussions toward a common goal
• At times, I can be very direct. Shooting first, and not even stopping to ask questions later.

• My second highest personality trait is the “I” style.
• I can laugh and have a good time with people
• When I don’t have responsibility on my shoulders, I tend to be more free spirited and fun loving
• I can creatively solve an issue/problem/need, with out of the box solutions
• I get bored with the same ol’ same. I like to try new things.

Values, Dreams, Passions:

• John 17:4: “I have brought glory to God, by completing the works he gave me to do.” - As of this most recent year, I am passionate about leading with scripture.
• I have a dream of owning many different self sustaining businesses, that generate revenue, but require very little attention from myself.
• I love freedom to work when I wish, and have family time when I wish.
• I am passionate about “re-inventing” the ordinary to becoming extra-ordinary.

So what does this all mean? I really feel that God has wired me to be a change agent. One who brings innovation and new ideas to the table, that make sense. God has also given me the ability to do something with those ideas.

With this in mind, I ask myself: “Am I fully functioning as God designed me?” In some ways, yes, and in some ways no. The challenge will be finding ways to spend 80% of my time doing activities that DO overlap my “zone.” But how do I delegate other activities off my plate? Who takes them on? Do I need to help my team discover their “zone” too? What if we don’t have the right people on our “bus?” All questions that I truly hope God answers…