You are part of a story. And just their are characters in the stories you read, you are character in a story. Characters have gifts and weaknesses but think about it - do these gifts and weaknesses ever come to light unless the characters face struggles and come into contact with other people? Those are the kind of stories that no one reads. The best stories have the most meaningful interactions and take place within this context of something. The best stories involve pain and at the end, you look back on the four hundred pages you just read with tears in your eyes because you're standing on the other shoreline now and looking back at all the characters went through to get where they are now. And if this is true with the books we read - if it's what makes them meaningful, is it any less so with your life? Think of the word context. Characters don't shine brightly or flicker or crumble unless they are within context. You never really see any type of gifts come to life in a character who sits on the couch all day and plays video games or in the person who just gets by in life and saves up for his retirement. Couches and video games and comfortable lives are weak contexts.
So where is your context now? I have been asking myself this lately. There were gifts that came to life within me at certain times in my life like when I went through the Naval Academy and became a leader for one of the campus ministries and when I moved to Virginia Beach and became a part of a church. My gifts of mercy and giving and encouragement rose up within me without me even asking for them. It was because I had placed myself in a strong context. Without that context, my gifts lay dormant. Perhaps you're wondering what gifts God has for you and you've even prayed about it. Where is your context? I can guarantee when you place yourself in a strong context your gifts will come to life and you won't even have to pray really hard for them or jump through any other spiritual hoops. I'm not saying not to pray really hard but maybe it's kind of silly for us to pray really hard for gifts when we're not even in a context where we can use those gifts.
Where is my context? Take a quick look at when my last post was before this. Months ago. I'll be honest - I have been out of context. I'm starting to see that one of the Enemy's biggest strategies is to take me out of context. He doesn't want me involved in church. He doesn't want me going to men's Bible study or serving or doing outreach with others. He knows that without context, I'll be a weak character in this Story that is taking place. A lot of Christians buy into this idea that they can be Christians on their own and not be part of a church. Where is their context? Christians are meant to be people who take action with the gifts God has given them but how are they going to do this when they have taken themselves out of context? I remember Pastor Mark Driscoll saying that 80% of being a man is just showing up. That thought has kept me showing up for things for a while simply for the reason that I felt my manhood was at stake! But really, isn't Driscoll just saying that 80% of being a man is putting yourself in context? It makes sense.
All of us have gifts. We love watching movies because we get to see peoples' gifts in action, facing conflict and overcoming and falling in love and losing friends but still moving on. We watch these movies and our hearts are stirred and we laugh and we cry. Maybe all of this is because we are meant to live out our own story and use our gifts, face our demons, and persevere through overwhelming odds to take hold of the prize. We all want to stand on the other shore and look back at our lives and have tears fill our eyes because of the story we have lived. Where is your context right now? If you're sitting on the bench, God is ready to put you in the game. It's not going to be easy but you'll be part of something beautiful. There is a context waiting for you. God has placed them all around us. Join a church, go on a missions trip, start a book club or a Bible study. Show up to these things even when you don't feel like it. Don't let yourself fall out of context. Keep yourself in the story. Your gifts will come to life and maybe you'll even start learning that your gifts and your story are really more about loving others and loving your Creator than you had thought. And for all the joy that is found there, I think you'll be okay with that.
