Know thyself

“Who am I?” “What should I be doing with my life?” “Where can I find fulfillment?”  

These are massive questions that require wisdom, discernment, and introspection. They feel ominous. The weight of these questions too often burdens a person to the point of inaction. “I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing since answering those questions requires too much of me.”

In our year-long pursuit of recovering vocation, we need to determine answers to these questions. If we understand our answers to these questions, we can better determine what it means to bring faith into the workplace.

In pursuit of wisdom or advice, ancient Greeks sought answers from the oracle in the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. The oracle was thought to channel the wisdom of the Greek god Apollo. The most enduring and widely embraced aphorism inscribed in the Temple of Apollo was gnothi seauton – “know thyself.”

Countless philosophers subscribed to this inscription’s prescription for wisdom. Socrates repeatedly stressed the importance of knowing ourselves before we proceed to any additional philosophical investigations. Craig Detweiler, the President of The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, believes “self-knowledge is seen as foundational to any pursuit of knowledge or wisdom. To know thyself, one must begin to develop self-consciousness.”

Maybe this is why everyone loves a good personality test. These range from Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, and DISC assessments to online quizzes that determine which Taylor Swift era best represents you.  

For those professing faith in God, Scripture tells us that we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good work, which God prepared in advance for us to do. God crafted each person with specific gifts, skills, and passions that are meant to be used in service to His kingdom. These gifts are to be used not only in the church but also at work, at home, at leisure, and more. These gifts are part of who you are as a person. Learning your gifts is part of the pursuit to “know thyself.”

1 Corinthians provides an example of these “Spiritual Gifts” that God gives people. These gifts are meant to honor God, bless others, and bring unity.

Now, about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-11

Do you know your spiritual gifts? Do you know how God specifically crafted you so that you could bless others? Introspection, or “knowing thyself,” is necessary to answer these questions. For some, introspection comes naturally. You know your giftedness and you’re living into God’s design for your life.  

For others, introspection is like a foreign language – you need a translator. If that’s you, consider using online tools to discern your spiritual giftedness. Here is a free spiritual gifts assessment developed by the people at ChurchGrowth.org to help people determine the gifts God gave them. It’s not a short survey, but it will be helpful in deciding how God gifted you and how you can use that giftedness to serve others at home, at work, at church, and on the go.

• Take the spiritual gifts survey

This assessment will reveal your giftedness in nine unique areas: Evangelism, Prophecy, Teaching, Exhortation, Shepherding, Mercy, Serving, Giving, and Administration. Upon completion, you’ll receive results that explain your giftedness and how you can use God’s design for you to serve others.

To “know thyself” demands we answer the question, “How did God uniquely craft me?” Each person has been entrusted with skills and talents in order to build others up. It should come as no surprise that we experience a great amount of fulfillment when we live into God’s design for our lives by using our spiritual gifts.

May God bless your journey to “know thyself” so that you can bless others and honor Him.