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“Stand at the intersection of your affections and successes and find your uniqueness.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 3). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

That is a tremendous thought to start this New Year.  You are unique.  God created only one you and he doesn’t make junk.   

Max says, “Our Maker gives assignments to people, ‘to each according to each one’s unique ability’ (Matt. 25:15).  As he calls, he equips. Look back over your life. What have you consistently done well? What have you loved to do? Stand at the intersection of your affections and successes and find your uniqueness.”

He goes on, “You have one. A divine spark.  An uncommon call to an uncommon life. ‘The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others’ (1 Cor. 12:7 CEV). So much for the excuse ‘I don’t have anything to offer.’ Did the apostle Paul say, ‘The Spirit has given some of us . . .’? Or, ‘The Spirit has given a few of us . . .’? No. ‘The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.’ Enough of this self-deprecating ‘I can’t do anything.’”

Max says three words at the start of this paragraph.  They are, “A divine spark”.  They come from a quote from the Jewish theologian Martin Buber from his book, The Way of Man, According to the Teaching of Hasidism.  He writes, “The world is an irradiation of God, but as it is endowed with an independence of existence and striving, it is apt, always and everywhere, to form a crust around itself. Thus, a divine spark lives in every thing and being, but each such spark is enclosed by an isolating shell. Only man can liberate it and re-join it with the Origin: by holding holy converse with the thing and using it in a holy manner, that is, so that his intention in doing so remains directed towards God’s transcendence. Thus the divine immanence emerges from the exile of the shells”.

Let’s somehow break through that crust and release what God has created us to be.  As Max says, “Don’t worry about skills you don’t have. Don’t covet strengths others do have. Just extract your uniqueness.  ‘Kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you’ (2 Tim. 1:6 NASB). And do so to make a big deal out of God.”

Do you want to find and release your uniqueness this year? 
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