Rule #3: Design For Yourself

Steve Job's rule #3 for success probably has me the most perplexed, "Design For Yourself."  I am not sure what he had in mind exactly, but after a few days of thinking it over I think I know what I need to take from it.

I have often hoped that when I get to heaven God will show me a fast speed video of my life because there are so many things I don't remember.  In college I even stopped a few times to wave to the imaginary camera and commemorate the moment.  When I think about that movie, what fascinates me is not any particular moment or lesson, but the fact that it is impossible for anyone else to have lived that life.  I may run into people that have had similar moments but no one will have lived the exact same life and even if they did, no one would have reacted to it the same way I have.  Our lives are precious and dear to us because they are uniquely ours.

So... I need to live my life uniquely designed for me and as a Christian, I believe the author of my life is God.  I don't need to try to live someone else's life, I need to live mine.  As I serve in ministry, I need to do the same thing.  I seek and pray for God's direction as He guides me.

There are so many things I wish I had known in my 20's that I know now in my 50's.  I wouldn't be self-conscious about my looks, my height, my weight.  I wouldn't desire to have someone else's talents and abilities, I would develop my own.  I wouldn't strive to fill my home up with stuff but I would relax and enjoy everything I have.  I wouldn't strive to be the church's ideal christian, I would keep my focus on God.  I wouldn't try to copy someone else's ministry, rather I would learn as much as I could from a variety of sources.  

Just as a person often has to do a task in a different way because of a disability, I have to do the same.  Bill and I realized a number of years ago how differently we are gifted.  In a presentation I love to tell stories and they often make people laugh or cry.  Bill cannot do that.  Bill, on the other hand, can teach in such a powerful way.  I love how he can teach an anatomy lesson in a way that anyone can understand.  He can take a physical characteristic and explain the associated behavioral response.  I cannot do that.  We have had to design presentations to fit ourselves.

So... how does this pertain to disability ministry?  The scriptures and stories in the Bible have an important lesson to teach us and God longs for us to "serve the least of these."  How that plays out may vary, however.  Your ministry will need to meet the particular needs of your church and will need to adapt to the physical and financial specifics of a church.  As a director you will need to design the ministry to use your gifts in the best way possible and then find people to partner with you that have the gifts you are lacking.  Don't be afraid to have the ministry look a little different than another, just lift the limits and be passionate about it!