What Are You Made For?

Yesterday I spent the day with dogs--Wirehaired Pointing Griffons to be exact. My dad bought a griff about 8 years ago through the Wireharied Pointing Griffon Club of America (WGPCA). They named him Brogan. Now twice a year the WGPCA hosts a day where griffs are tested at various levels to determine their hunting ability. The results of these tests determine future breeding. The dogs that score well will most likely be bred down the road. So I spent the entire day watching dog testings. And it was awesome! We had a total blast!

Now one thing stood out to me after watching this day of testing and that is that these dogs were made to hunt. In fact, the first test they put these dogs through is called the "Natural Ability" test. They basically take younger dogs and put them through a variety of tests without any prior training to determine their natural hunting ability. You wouldn't believe what some of these dogs do simply by instinct! These dogs were made for hunting. And it wasn't just through the tests that this was made evident. Perhaps the most outstanding confirmation for me that griffs were made to hunt was watching our dog Brogan watch the other dogs being tested.

My wife and I were in charge of Brogan the entire day. And watching Brogan while watching other dogs get tested proved to be quite the challenge. Pretty much as soon as the testing started Brogan went nuts. He started whining. He started barking. He would jump up and down. It was a tad embarrassing. At one point someone even came up and offered Brogan a dog treat to see if that would settle him down. It didn't work. He didn't eat it. And this is the same dog that figured out how to break into the pantry where his dog treats are kept at home! At another point we were walking along and all of sudden I was being dragged by Brogan until he completely froze. When a griff completely freezes that is called pointing. It took me a few seconds to put things together, but sure enough, Brogan was "pointing" directly at a grouse that another dog had been unable to find. Crazy!

While we were driving home late last night I began to think about all of this stuff--that these dogs were created to hunt and that they get incredibly irritated when they are forced to sit out when others are getting to do it. I mean they literally go nuts. And that got me thinking about how I am created.

I mean what is that I am created to do? What is it that God created me for? What has God gifted me to accomplish? What natural abilities has God instilled in me? What makes me irritable or nutty when I am forced to sit out? What lack of activity makes life tasteless and unappetizing?

Surely, our answers will overlap. And surely, they will be slightly different. But what are you made for? What has God wired you to do? Let me just say that the effectiveness with which you will participate in advancing the kingdom of God will be greatly influenced by the clarity of your answer.