How to use our gifts and talents to help others and follow God’s plan for us.
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives,” author Annie Dillard once wrote. In our busy lives, it’s all too easy to flit from task to task, spending our days checking items off a to-do list but never finding time to do the things that make us feel fulfilled. This can lead to boredom, even discontent. More importantly, God created each of us for a unique purpose, and He gave us the desire to pursue that purpose. If we don’t, we could miss out on God’s calling for our lives.
Self-fulfillment is more than feeling good about how we spend our days. It’s about discovering what God wants us to do with our lives—which can feel like a tall order. How do we find what fulfills us and then pursue it?
The Importance of Finding Fulfillment
The Britannica Dictionary defines self-fulfillment as “the feeling of being happy and satisfied because you are doing something that fully uses your abilities and talents.” I think we all want that. We all want to feel as though what we do in this world matters and that we are using the gifts that God gave us. He created us with a longing to worship Him, and using our God-given talents is a great way to do that. Plus, at the end of our lives, we all want to hear Our Father say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
But how do we get there? How do we discover our unique path to self-fulfillment? Here are some simple steps to take.
8 Steps to Finding Your Path to Self-Fulfillment
1. Ask God to show you. God created you, and He knows you better than you know yourself. Ask Him to help you pay attention when opportunities to use your God-given talents arise. And ask Him to give you the courage to pursue those opportunities.
2. Make a list of things that excite you and make you happy. What are your hobbies? What are you good at? Are you crafty? Can you knit or crochet? Are you a wonderful cook or baker? Do you easily connect with children or the elderly? Can you sing or play a musical instrument? Are you super organized? Is your garden envied by your neighbors? Write those things down. Now isn’t the time to be modest about your gifts. God gave them to you, and He wants you to use them for your self-fulfillment.
3. Make another list, this one of things that break your heart. While it might not be a fun exercise, oftentimes, the issues that make us sad in this world are exactly the causes that God wants us to step into and help. Do you have a special place in your heart for single moms? Maybe God wants you to volunteer with a ministry that helps them. Do kids in need tug at your heartstrings? Maybe you cry for the homeless or those struggling with addiction. Maybe you want to honor and help our veterans and first responders. There are so many ways to help those in need, and if God has given you a soft spot for people dealing with a specific challenge, it’s likely that stepping in and helping them would make you feel fulfilled.
4. Look at the two lists you created. Which of your talents could be used to help make a difference in one of the issues that breaks your heart? If you can knit or crochet, homeless shelters, care facilities and veterans’ homes always accept donations of socks, winter hats, and blankets. Or maybe you’d rather make blankets for your local neo-natal intensive care unit or animal shelter. If you garden, many food pantries accept donations of fresh produce so you can help feed those in need.
5. Use a search engine. Try Googling your talent, the group of people you’d like to help, and your location. For instance, when you search “knitting for veterans in Houston,” more than six million hits come up, including a group that meets in a local community center to knit items to donate to a veterans’ home in the area. What kind of self-fulfillment could you find with a quick Google search?
6. Try VolunteerMatch.org. This website allows you to enter your location, your skills and the causes you’re interested in helping in, and it suggests organizations that are looking for volunteers. One of the causes you can choose is faith-based organizations, so you’ll know they have similar goals and values. It even lets you select between in-person and virtual opportunities.
7. Find the right job or ministry. Sometimes, we are blessed to use our God-given talents in our jobs and other times, we use them in a volunteer capacity. Either way can lead to self-fulfillment. If you aren’t sure where to start, ask around at your church. Your church secretary probably has a list of ministries that need volunteers. Most churches have opportunities to help within your church family and in your community. And if your church is anything like mine, if you offer to help, they will always find a spot for you!
8. Get started with this list of volunteer opportunities. For those who love children, Kids Hope is a great organization. They partner each volunteer with an elementary-aged at-risk child, and in one hour each week, the volunteer forms a bond with that child and becomes someone he or she can trust. See KidsHopeUSA.org for more information.
If cooking is where you shine, check out LasagnaLove.org. It’s an organization that offers the opportunity to bake a homemade lasagna for a family in need.
If you love to knit, try Knit Your Bit, an organization that makes items for active military members.
For gardeners, check out communitygarden.org. It’s full of tips to help you start or join a community garden in your area.
The path to self-fulfillment is different for each of us, but it always involves doing the things that God created us to do. Discovering how to use your God-given talents—especially to help others and show them God’s love—is a sure way to feel happy and fulfilled in your life.
