Finding Your Sweet Spot
When Gwen and I were seeking to discern what it was that God was calling us to in this season of our lives, these concepts were really helpful to us and eventually led us to launch Dave DeSelm Ministries.
I think these truths are transferrable to all of us as we seek to live our one and only life for the glory of God and His Kingdom.
Made for a Purpose
One of my favorite texts is:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
The first half of the verse declares that we are God’s workmanship – literally His work of art. You have been handcrafted, uniquely tooled. Indeed, there will never be another YOU.
But the second half of the verse makes it clear that you are more than a piece of work to be set on a shelf and admired. You’re a piece of work that is to be at work.
We all innately know this. We long for our lives to have meaning and purpose.
Songwriter Darlene Zschech recognized this when she said that the two greatest days of a person’s life are #1, when they were born; and #2, the day they discover why they were born.
So how does one discover what that purpose is? One way is to consider three converging circles.
Your Story
One of these circles is your story – the experiences you had that shaped and molded you. Good experiences, bad experiences, and even ugly experiences can provide insight into the good works you could do.
Author Dan Allender put it well: “If you want to know the will of God for your life, look behind you. Your future is meant to be written in light of the patterns of the past.”
Your Gifts
The second circle represents your gifts and abilities. We all have either natural or developed talents. As well, we all have been given spiritual gifts.
You might not know what those are, so consider this: “Where do you find both fruitfulness and fulfillment?” Those can be keys to identifying what’s in your second circle.
The World’s Need
The third circle represents the world’s need. It’s the place where the Kingdom of God needs to be more fully seen.
Examples might be the lack of educational opportunities for under-resourced children, the need for Christian coaches on a sports team, or the challenge facing single mothers.
Your Sweet Spot
Where these circles intersect could be called your “sweet spot.”
The sweet spot. Golfers understand the term. So do baseball players and tennis players.
Connect with that prime inch of real estate and kapow! Your arm doesn’t tingle, and the ball doesn’t ricochet. You think, “Yes!!!” because it all came together.
Here’s the thing. What engineers have given to sports equipment, God has given to you. A zone, a region, an intersection in which you were made to live. And life makes sweet sense when you find it.
Here’s how it worked for me as it relates to DDM.
My story included being a father, school teacher, and experienced pastor. Regarding the latter, I had led a church for over 35 years through all sorts of seasons and challenges.
My gifts/passion included teaching and leadership. I loved bringing insights to others and helping them move to a better future.
The world’s need, as I saw it, was so extensive. But, among other things, it included pastors who were in need of encouragement and insights.
In putting all of this together, I found my sweet spot in resourcing everyday pastors. Five years into it, I’m still saying, “Yes!!!”
What about you? What are the good works that God has prepared for you to do? What might your circles look like?
There’s a sweet spot out there for you to discover. When you do, you’ll find yourself saying, “Yes!!!”
And not only will you be smiling, but so will the One who made you for it.
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