One of the questions I challenged the young men to think about was simple:
What are you built for?
I wasn't only talking about sports.
I was talking about life.
I wanted these young men to understand that The Creator created each one of us specifically. By design, we are built for purpose.
The Creator knows that purpose.
The problem is, we often don't.
So how do you begin figuring it out?
Look at How You Were Built
Sometimes the obvious is a good place to start.
Look at me physically.
I'm a smaller man. I'm athletic. I'm light on my feet. I naturally move at a faster pace.
I can look at my body and know I'm not built like a powerlifting linebacker.
That's not an insult to me.
That's an observation.
My physical design gives me information about myself. I'm built more for quickness and speed than moving massive amounts of weight.
You can do the same thing.
Look at yourself.
Pay attention to what you see.
And don't stop with your body.
What comes naturally to you?
What do you notice that other people miss?
How do you respond when you're under pressure?
What kinds of problems do you naturally want to solve?
What have you learned through your experiences?
What keeps showing up in your life?
Those observations don't automatically tell you your purpose.
But they can give you clues.
Study Yourself
I urge young men and women to take time to examine themselves.
Pay attention.
Take notes.
Write down what you learn about yourself.
You don't have to have your entire life figured out today.
You're learning.
So learn you.
As you grow, you'll notice things you didn't notice before. Some assumptions you made about yourself may prove wrong. Other characteristics will continue showing up again and again.
Pay attention to the patterns.
But there is an important warning here.
Don't stop with yourself.
Ask The One Who Built You
If something has been intentionally designed, the best source for understanding its purpose is its creator.
That's why I urge young people to seek purpose from The Creator first.
Yes, examine yourself.
Yes, recognize your abilities.
Yes, pay attention to your experiences.
Yes, listen when trustworthy people recognize something in you.
But none of those should replace seeking The Creator.
Go to Scripture.
Read what The Creator has said about you.
Psalm 139:14 tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Think about what that means.
You aren't here because The Creator ran out of ideas and decided to make another person.
You were made.
Your life has value.
Your design matters.
And before you decide that you are useless because you don't look like somebody else, perform like somebody else, think like somebody else, or possess somebody else's abilities, remember:
You weren't built to be them.
The question is:
What are YOU built for?
Stop Measuring Your Design Against Somebody Else's
If I spend my life frustrated because I'm not built like a linebacker, I'm missing the point.
I don't need his body to fulfill the purpose for which I was created.
I need to learn how to use what I have.
That's a lesson that goes far beyond athletics.
Someone else's strength doesn't prove your weakness.
Someone else's ability doesn't eliminate yours.
Someone else's purpose doesn't determine yours.
Pay attention to how The Creator built you.
That requires humility.
You have to be willing to acknowledge what you can do.
You also have to acknowledge what you can't do.
Both give you information.
The goal isn't to convince yourself that you can be anything.
The goal is to discover who you were created to be and learn to manage what you've been given.
Then Comes the Test
During JAM Camp, the young men eventually faced the SPECIAL.
They had to run through various challenges.
And while they were going through those challenges, I heard something.
Some of the young men were chanting:
"I'm Built For This!"
That stayed with me.
Earlier, the question had been:
What are you built for?
Now, under pressure, some of these young men had turned the question into a declaration:
I'm Built For This!
That is where this lesson gets real.
It's one thing to talk about purpose when you're sitting comfortably in a room.
It's another thing to believe you were built for something when you're tired.
When it's difficult.
When you're being challenged.
When quitting would be easier.
The challenge didn't determine how they were built.
The challenge gave them an opportunity to respond to what they believed.
I'm Built For This!
You Need Both the Question and the Declaration
I don't want young people walking around yelling, "I'm Built For This!" without ever asking The Creator what they were actually built for.
Confidence without direction can get you moving fast in the wrong direction.
Start with the question.
What am I built for?
Seek The Creator.
Read Scripture.
Examine yourself.
Take notes.
Pay attention.
Learn from your experiences.
Recognize your strengths and limitations.
Keep learning.
Keep asking.
Then, as you begin understanding who you are and how you were created, you can face challenges differently.
You don't have to run from every difficult situation.
Sometimes you can look at what's in front of you and say:
I'm Built For This!
Your Assignment
Take some time and study yourself.
Write down what you observe.
Start with simple things.
What are some of your physical characteristics?
What abilities seem natural to you?
What have you had to work hard to develop?
What kinds of things energize you?
What patterns keep appearing in your life?
What have other people consistently recognized in you?
Then go deeper.
What does Scripture say about who you are?
What does Scripture tell you about The Creator?
What does it tell you about how you should live?
Don't rush the process because you want a quick answer about your career or your future.
Purpose is bigger than a job title.
Start with The Creator.
Then keep paying attention.
You were intentionally made.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Now comes the question:
What Are You Built For?
And when you discover that you're standing in a challenge connected to who you were created to become, remember those young men running through the SPECIAL:
I'm Built For This!
Take the Built For This Challenge
Open a notebook and write "What Am I Built For?" at the top of the page.
Spend time observing yourself and recording what you learn. Then spend time in Scripture examining what The Creator says about who you are and how you should live.
Don't try to finish the exercise in one sitting.
Pay attention over time.
