Part 3: Unleashing Your S.H.A.P.E. for Life · Lesson 12
Imagine an art class on the first day of the semester. The instructor places a lump of wet clay on each student's wheel and gives a simple assignment: create a vessel. Over the following weeks, the students work diligently -- shaping, smoothing, and perfecting their creations. But the instructor notices something troubling. Several students keep abandoning their wheels before the vessels are complete. They walk away to chat, to check their phones, to work on something else. And each time they return, the clay has stiffened, the shape has collapsed, and the vessel is ruined.
The instructor pulls the class together and delivers a single exhortation: "Stay on the wheel. If you stay on the wheel, I can make something beautiful. If you keep crawling off, all I have is another collapsed lump."
This lesson is not really about pottery. It is about you and God. God is the potter. You are the clay. And the single most important thing you can do to reach your full potential is to stay on the wheel.
God's commitment to you is absolute. He who began a good work in you will complete it. The question is not whether God will finish what he started. The question is whether you will remain on the wheel long enough for him to do it.
The apostle Paul described the Christian life as a living sacrifice. The word "sacrifice" is deliberate. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was placed on the altar and consumed. It did not crawl off. But a living sacrifice -- that is a different matter. A living sacrifice has legs. It can get up and walk away whenever it chooses. And according to Romans 12, the temptation to crawl off the altar is constant.
Every day, you face a choice. Will you present yourself to God as a living sacrifice, surrendered and available? Or will you crawl off the altar and pursue your own agenda? Staying on the wheel is not a one-time decision. It is a daily, sometimes hourly, surrender.
A vital principle for reaching your full potential is this: input equals output. What you allow into your mind and heart will ultimately shape what comes out in your words, actions, and decisions. If you feed your mind with truth, your life will produce fruit that honors God. If you feed your mind with noise, distraction, and falsehood, your life will reflect those inputs instead. Guard what enters you, and you will transform what flows from you.
Reaching your full potential is not the result of a single dramatic moment. It is the accumulated effect of faithful habits practiced consistently over a lifetime. The following nine habits are organized into three categories: daily, weekly, and monthly. Together, they form a rhythm of life that keeps you on the wheel and positions you for God's ongoing work.
Each new day begins with a choice: who will be in charge? The habit of daily surrender means presenting yourself to God at the start of each morning and saying, "Lord, today is yours. My plans are yours. My schedule is yours. My attitudes are yours. I pass the baton to you." It is a deliberate act of releasing control and placing your life back on the altar.
This does not mean your day will be free of difficulty. It means that whatever comes, you face it with your hands open rather than clenched. Surrender is not passive resignation. It is active trust.
Scripture is the primary way God speaks to his people. The habit of daily Bible study is not about checking off a religious duty. It is about allowing the mind of Christ to reshape your thinking. The psalmist said that the righteous person meditates on God's law day and night. Joshua received this instruction as he prepared to lead Israel into the Promised Land:
Think of Bible study as marinating your mind. A marinade does its work slowly, over time, penetrating deep into the meat. In the same way, as you immerse your mind in Scripture day after day, God's truth penetrates deep into your thinking, your attitudes, and your character.
In a world of constant noise, silence has become a spiritual discipline of extraordinary importance. The habit of silencing your heart means carving out time each day to be still before God -- not to present a list of requests, but simply to be in his presence and listen.
Many believers find it helpful to practice what some call "flushing your mind" -- taking a few minutes to consciously release every thought, worry, and distraction to God, creating space for his voice. God will speak when you stop long enough to hear. The silence is not empty. It is full of his presence.
The Sabbath was never meant to be a legalistic burden. It was a gift from God -- a day of rest, restoration, and re-creation. After creating the world in six days, God rested on the seventh. Not because he was tired, but because he was establishing a pattern for the people he made.
Setting aside one day a week to honor God through rest is a declaration of trust. It says, "God, I trust you enough to stop working. I believe you can sustain my life, my family, and my work even when I am not producing." It is a weekly reminder that your worth is not tied to your productivity. There is a saying worth remembering: "Let your soul catch up with your body."
After his resurrection, Jesus had a remarkable conversation with Peter by the Sea of Galilee. Three times he asked Peter, "Do you love me?" And three times, after Peter affirmed his love, Jesus gave him the same instruction: "Feed my sheep" and "Shepherd my lambs."
Shepherding is the habit of caring for, loving, supporting, and encouraging the people God has placed in your life. It means noticing when someone is struggling and reaching out. It means celebrating someone else's success without jealousy. It means being the kind of person others can call at two in the morning when their world is falling apart. This is not limited to pastors. Every believer is called to shepherd.
The Great Commission is not a suggestion. It is a command from the risen Christ to every follower:
Sharing God's love takes many forms. For some, it means having a direct conversation about faith with a neighbor or coworker. For others, it means serving in the community in ways that open doors for gospel conversations. For all of us, it means being prepared to give an answer when someone asks about the hope we carry:
The weekly habit of sharing God's love ensures that your faith does not become private and insulated. It keeps you outward-facing, mission-minded, and dependent on the Holy Spirit for boldness.
Once a month, carve out extended time for solitude with God -- a half day, a full day, or even a weekend retreat if possible. Jesus modeled this rhythm throughout his ministry:
Dallas Willard, the philosopher and spiritual formation teacher, once said something striking: "I don't know of any answer to busyness other than solitude." When life becomes overwhelming -- when the noise, the demands, and the pace threaten to crush your soul -- solitude with God is the antidote. It is in those quiet, extended moments that God restores your perspective, renews your strength, and reminds you of your purpose.
Once a month, take time to honestly evaluate how things are going. Tom Paterson, a well-known strategic planner, developed four simple questions that provide an excellent framework for a monthly review:
These four questions cut through the clutter and give you a clear picture of where you are and where you need to go. Write down your answers. Share them with your Training Partner. Let the monthly survey become a compass that keeps you on course.
Your S.H.A.P.E. is not static. As you grow, your gifts deepen, your heart expands, your abilities sharpen, your personality matures, and your experiences multiply. Once a month, revisit your S.H.A.P.E. profile and ask: How has God been growing me? What new gifts am I discovering? Where is my heart being drawn? What skills am I developing? What experiences is God using to prepare me for the next chapter?
Leaders are learners. Those who reach their full potential never stop growing, never stop asking questions, and never stop seeking to understand how God has wired them for his purposes. The habit of sharpening your S.H.A.P.E. keeps you sharp, relevant, and responsive to God's ongoing work in your life.
You do not need to adopt all nine habits at once. In fact, attempting to do so would likely lead to discouragement. Instead, choose one new habit to commit to this month. Focus on that single habit until it begins to feel natural. Then, next month, add another. Over the course of a year, you can integrate all nine habits into the rhythm of your life -- and the cumulative effect will be extraordinary.
If you have journeyed through all twelve lessons of this course, pause and give thanks. What you have done is significant. You have explored the five elements of your God-given design -- Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. You have discovered the power of community through your Training Team. You have grasped what it means to live with Kingdom Purpose. You have learned how to invest in others. And you have been equipped with nine lifelong habits that will keep you on the potter's wheel for years to come.
But this is not the end. It is a beginning.
God's work in your life will continue long after this course is finished. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Your role is simply this: remain on the wheel. Stay surrendered. Stay connected. Stay faithful.
Do you remember the assessment you completed at the beginning of this course? We encourage you to revisit it now. Compare where you were when you started to where you are today. Celebrate the growth. Acknowledge the areas still in progress. And remember: the God who brought you this far is faithful to complete what he has started. Return to the "Where Are You Today?" assessment from Lesson 1 and see how your answers have changed.
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."Ephesians 3:20-21
May God bless you abundantly as you step forward into the unique, purposeful, Spirit-led life he designed you to live. You were not an accident. Your S.H.A.P.E is not random. Your purpose is not a mystery to be solved but a gift to be received, lived, and shared. Go in confidence, go in love, and go in the power of the One who made you.
What has been the most significant insight you gained during this course? How will your daily, weekly, and monthly rhythms change as a result? Who will you share your Kingdom Purpose with this week? And will you commit to staying on the wheel -- not just for a season, but for a lifetime? Bring these questions to God in prayer, share them with your Training Partner, and allow the Holy Spirit to continue forming you into the person he created you to be.