Shaped for a PurposeSample

## To whom do you belong? We, as modern humans, often find our worth in what we do. “What do you do?” is almost always the second question a stranger will ask you once they’ve asked for your name. The ancients had it better; they looked at whom you belonged to as a reference for who you were. You were shaped to belong, and to whom we belong is of greater significance than what we do. So, it’s worth asking the question: Whom, or what, do you belong to? Several brand-new surfboards were talking to each other in the sales rack of the store. They were all bragging about what they do. “I'm the only one that can surf big waves,” boasted the Big Wave Gun. “That’s so irrelevant,” said the Retro Fish. “I agree,” said the Classic Longboard. “Surfing’s essence is in the aesthetic and art of riding a wave, and that's what we do.” “I think it's all about pushing the envelope,” retorted the High-Performance Short Board. Just then, the current surfing world champ walked into the store looking for a new board. Every board on the rack instantly stopped fighting, desperate to have the world champ choose them. You see, whose you are is far more definitive in fulfilling your purpose than what you do. A surfboard that belongs to an average surfer will do average things. That same surfboard, when it belongs to a professional, can do so much more. So, whose are you? To whom or to what does your soul belong? What is the center of gravity around which your world orbits? We all tend to give ourselves to something or someone – this more than anything else shapes and affects how we fulfill or don’t fulfill our divine purpose. As you read the following scriptures, slow down. Invite the One who made and designed you to join you. Connect with your Shaper and allow Him to encourage or admonish you to live as one whose soul belongs to Him. Is He calling you to take courage in the lionheart He has placed within you? Is He gently admonishing you, calling you to return, to readjust your orbit around His love? Or maybe He is whispering: keep going; you are doing well; keep it up.