“Stage 3 is best described as the ‘doing’ stage. It is the period of time when we most consciously find ourselves working for God. In fact, our faith is characterized as just that, working for God or being in God's service. Having gone through the apprenticeship period, the life of discipleship, we are ready to do it on our own, even to move on to help others learn to do and be what we have discovered… For many, this stage describes the height of their faith experience. It feels exciting, fulfilling, awesome, inspiring, fruitful. And it usually calls for more effort from us and others. It seems to be almost an insatiable period because everything is going so well. For some, this is captured in the phrase, "if God be for us who can be against us?" Because our gifts are unique to each of us, each person can play a different role in the community of faith. Our gifts need to be used. They are given for the common good of the community of faith.” In stages 1 & 2 we come to recognize God and learn so many things about life with God. Then, when we transition into the third stage, it is a time of taking all that we’ve been filled with, and allowing it to flow out to others on the journey. We begin to learn what our own unique place is in the world and spiritual community. We lean into our spiritual gifts and begin leading or listening or loving in the ways we are wired. Hagberg & Guelich point out that: “No one else can prescribe for us at this stage what will be our source of satisfaction in the acknowledgement of gifts or reaching of goals. These are ours to discover, create, or acknowledge.” How have you seen this stage in your own journey? Was there a time that you naturally transitioned out of mainly receiving and into a place of giving, within your spiritual community or the world? How do you feel about your own spiritual “gifts” and how you have lived them out in your life of faith? How does God feel about them, do you imagine?

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2022-09-14 13:30:44 UTC