(2.1 min read – 346 words)

Did you know your life has three main areas?

There is your callings, character, and connections. Your callings are what you do. Your character is who you are. Your connections are the quality of your relationships. Each are intertwined without natural versus spiritual distinctions.

God has designed three specific institutions on earth aimed to help you and I flourish in each of these areas.

What are His institutions and how can we get the most out of them?

God’s three main institutions are made up of people. They are the family, the marriage, and the Church. To get the most out of each, we need to ask specific questions.

1. The family institution comes first. The family develops children. It is the cradle for our callings, character, and connections. It is where children learn how to do, be, and relate within the context of a team, authority, and increasing responsibility. The wise child or teenager asks their parents:

• What am I good at? (callings)
• How am I behaving? (character)
• How can I support my sibling(s) better? (connections)

2. Then comes marriage for some. The marriage helps develop adults. The wise spouse asks the other:

• Does my work align with my strengths? (callings)
• How am I treating you? (character)
• How can we grow stronger together? (connections)

3. Finally, there is the Church institution. It helps develop both children and adults. It is the chief living organism God has authorized to help us grow in our callings, character, and connections. The wise Christian asks their shepherd:

• What are my spiritual abilities? Where should I serve? (callings)
• How am I treating others? (character)
• Who needs helping? (connections)

As a good friend of mine once said, “questions lead to quests”. When we repeat these questions over time, we get regular feedback and evaluation of progress. This is when our real growth quest begins. It starts blooming across all of life.

Change sometimes hurts. In the end God always converts it for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Which questions should you start asking, and to whom? Which area(s) is God spotlighting?