Alas, from Summit there blows a stiff wind of adversity and critical feedback from this chap’s fellow chaplains and instructor/guides. The way up this steep terrain, as for any worthy calling, is fraught with difficulty. Feeling exposed and disoriented, an internal debate begins and breaks out, even writing this parable and dialoguing about it.
Side 1 = Gifts that are God-given (see Romans 12, 1Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4), also capacities& competencies, or core strengths & limitations, as assessed by others.
Side 2 = Desires, the deepest passions of our heart, whatever gives us great joy and drives us forward.
Side 3 = Place to Uniquely Serve, recognizing that we each see the world-in-need differently.
Side 4 = The fourth vector, intercepting the other three, is Identity—that is, our unique temperament and personality type, or how we are wired, per Myers-Briggs, etc.
For you it may be different. Each will respond variously as our career veers off one track onto another in response to those two existential questions. I may yet choose the path up and over to other peak experiences or Whatever. Or I may follow God’s call down the well-worn path to the Valley, where the hard work is done, but without all the spiritual and emotional highs.
This mapping process happens best in community—that is, through peer review, mentoring, supervisors’ feedback, family of origin dialogue, and through listening to other’s stories. CPE facilitates all that for yours truly. Whatever God is using as an agent for change in your life, go there. Go long, go deep. Keep your eye on the prize.
Have you found that comfort zone, that place of passion? Do you know what gives you the most joy and energy? Or are you missing something? And yes, the journey, not the destination, is the point. Or rather, the process. Mapping the four vectors on a life map is a lifelong journey. In either event, at some point, I’d like to connect with you, at [email protected]. Then hear your story and share the rest of mine.