Bents

The other day, my friends, Dave, Thomas and I were discussing our individual hobbies and interests. We meet weekly to discuss church progress and pray. I sure enjoy how these two guys pour into my life! At any rate, we're all so different. Not only personalities but our interests and hobbies are worlds apart. I love how there's such unity in diversity in the body of Christ.

Dave, of course, owned his own company and now is building beautiful horse stables for boarding and competition. He also loves racing his car and long-distance driving. He's also gifted mechanically and in areas of home improvement and even new home building, among other talents. Thomas has worked for a vision company for many years but is also a gifted musician, worship leader, and an avid bird watcher; along with other interests. In addition to pastoring, I love to work with landscaping and I love to write. Even though we're totally different people, we all share a love for the Lord. That's our common ground.

What about you? What are your interests? What gives you enjoyment and fulfills your creative flow? What has God deposited inside you that possesses kingdom value? One of my disconcerting memories of my dad was his disdain for the job he held for over 30 years. I often heard him complain, "I hate this job, I wish I could do something else." I remember thinking, "When I become an adult, I want to spend my life doing what interests me and what makes a difference in the total scheme of my life." Poor dad! I wish he could have found a higher niche.

What about you?

Are you enjoying your life? Do you enjoy what has been set before you in terms of your job and time? Can I ask you to give something your full attention and consideration?

If your life is unsatisfying and unfulfilling, what steps can you take today to change things? What's your bent? The word "bent" means interests, gifts, or strengths. Proverbs 22:6 in the Amplified Version says, "Train up a child in the way he should go (teaching him to seek God's wisdom and will for his abilities and talents). Even when he is old he will not depart from it." We've taught for years this verse provided an ironclad promise that children raised in faith will come back if they stray. Not so. The psalmist is talking about identifying a child's bent and helping him develop that bent during his growing up years.

I'm alarmed at the parents today who simply just let their children grow up without providing the necessary training and direction according to their bent. Kids don't develop by happenstance. They need continued direction, training and shaping. Otherwise, when they reach adulthood, they often just drift, settling for second best and often unfulfilled. This is a tragedy.

Will you do something for me today? Will you sit your children down and together identify their bent, their gifts, strengths and talents? Then, will you strategize toward their future? Determine what you can do NOW to help them walk into a meaningful future and hopefully one that pays the bills while at the same time bringing them fulfillment. I appreciated my dad's resolve to push through an unloved job to provide for our family but it makes me sad that he spent his life so unhappy.

Neither God nor I want that for you. Start today by discovering your individual bent(s) and make a plan to move from A to B. Granted, all of us sometimes have to do things, hold jobs, to make ends meet; however, if we identify our bent and head in a direction to fulfill our unique calling, then such jobs will hopefully be temporary.

One thing I've learned about life is that it is difficult. You didn't know that, did you? Jesus said, "I came to give you life and life more abundant." I don't just want to breathe, eat and exist. I want my life to usher in the abundance that Jesus has promised. And I know you do, too.

What steps can you take beginning today to develop your bent? God will give you wisdom and insight and favor if you will "seek first His kingdom…" (Matthew 6:33). My prayer for you is that you will discover your bent, tap into its potential fulfillment and find God's favor to head in that direction. What's YOUR bent?