S.H.A.P.E. Worksheet

SHAPE Worksheet

What is SHAPE?

SHAPE is a tool to help each of us discover more of the unique and unrepeatable person that God has made us to be. Through evaluating our Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experience, we can be better informed on the unique ways we were made to love others well.

As we better understand who God made us to be, we discover what He’s called you to do.

Pray and Discern As You Go

Some of you may have done similar exercises like this before and some may have not. Either way, it’s a beautiful time to reflect on the person God has made you to be and the intention He has put in every part of you to love others.

As you go about this process, we invite you to pray and discern with each of these categories. Consider scripture, asking for wisdom in those older you, and very importantly, discerning with those close to you. If you are ever stuck, friends, family, and partners can be beautiful sounding boards to help us see where and how God is moving in our life.

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Spiritual Gifts

The Holy Spirit works exponentially through you in these ways.

Spiritual gifts are charisms– the Greek word used in the New Testament for ‘favor’ or ‘gratuitous gift’. Charisms, or spiritual gifts, are special abilities given to Christians by the Holy Spirit to enable them to be powerful channels of God’s love and redeeming presence in the world. Whether extraordinary or ordinary, charisms are to be used in charity or service to build up the Church. (CCC, 2003)

The gifts of the Spirit (according to the Catholic Spiritual Gifts Inventory, The Siena Institute Press, Colorado Springs CO, © 1997 by Sherry Weddell) are: Administration, Celibacy, Encouragement, Evangelism, Faith, Giving, Healing, Helps, Intercessory prayer, Knowledge, Leadership, Mercy, Missionary, Pastoring, Music, Prophecy, Service, Teaching, Wisdom and Writing.

You can find a few more resources on discerning your gifts here:

Consider these questions: Where do I see exponential fruit in my life? Do others affirm it? Does it feel like the Holy Spirit moves specifically when I …? Write down as many gifts as you notice in your life:

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Heart

You have passions—things you enjoy doing.

Another word for heart is passion. Passions are desires or purposes that bring us joy. There are certain subjects you feel passionate about and others you couldn’t care less about. Some experiences turn you on and capture your attention while others turn you off or bore you to tears. These reveal the nature of your heart.

This could be…

a passion for a role (what you like to do);

a passion for specific people (whom you like to help); and

a passion for a cause (what you would like to see changed).

So, what do I love doing? Consider the driving forces and motivators in your life. Write down the top five passions in your heart.

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Abilities

Your innate talents, skills, and things you do.

From birth, God has given you natural abilities—anything from athletics, to art, to accounting. These are things always in us and often inherited or in our DNA. What natural gifts and talents do I have? You might reference Strength Finder, degrees, certifications, or specialization in your life.

This could be anything: physical skills, writing, teaching, solving complex problems, analyzing data, singing, leading, hosting people well, cooking, speaking, etc.

Consider these questions: What seems to come more naturally to you than others? What are things that feel easy to do and express in your life? What do your friends or family look to you for? Write out as many abilities that come in your discernment.

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Personality

Your natural disposition and way of thinking, feeling, and being.

Your personality will affect how and where you use your spiritual gifts and abilities. For instance, two people may have the same gift of evangelism, but if one is introverted and the other is extroverted, that gift will be expressed in different ways.

Some people are introverts; others are extroverted. Some people love to plan everything; others work best at the last minute.

Consider these questions: Where does my personality best suit me to serve? What are specific characteristics of your life that you’ve built to keep yourself refreshed and rejuvenated? What brings you life and what doesn’t bring you life? In your friendships, family, and workplace? You might reference Myers Briggs or DISC to help fill this section out. Write down the top personality traits, or most common, that come to you during your discernment.

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Experiences

The circumstances and situations that have impacted your life.

Experiences that were key for confirming or illustrating the above: God uses your experiences—family, education, occupation, emotions, and more—to allow you to help others. These circumstances could be painful or life-giving. They could be chosen by you or not chosen by you.

Consider these questions: What spiritual, painful, educational & ministry experiences have I had? What am I passionate about because of my experience? What areas of life, situations, or topics feel close to my heart?

If you get stuck, you can write down a story or circumstance, and then ask the people in your life to help discern the heart of the matter. Write down the top five that come in discernment and prayer.

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As you consider these different areas and the whole picture of who God has made you to be, consider where and how God is calling you. Where does your heart long to go? List ways in which you feel called to live out being yourself in the mission: