Vital Signs: Monday, June 23, 2025

Shaped to Serve

“But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” - Galatians 6:4 NKJV

A way to determine how you can serve others is to ask yourself questions like: What do I really enjoy doing most? When do I feel most fully alive? What am I doing when I lose track of time? Do I like routine or variety? Do I prefer serving with a team or by myself? Am I more introverted or extroverted? Am I more of a thinker or a feeler? Do I enjoy competing or cooperating more?

Examine your experiences and extract the lessons you’ve learned. Review your life and reflect on how it has shaped you. Forgotten experiences are worthless, which is a good reason to keep a spiritual journal. Paul worried that the believers in Galatia would waste the pain they had been through. He said, "Were all your experiences wasted? I hope not!" (Galatians 3:4 NCV)

We rarely see God’s purpose in pain, failure, or embarrassment while it is happening. Only in hindsight do we often understand how God intended a problem for good. Extracting those lessons takes time. I encourage you to take an entire weekend for a life review retreat. Pause and reflect on how God has worked through defining moments in your life, and consider how He wants to use those experiences to help others.