Tara's SHAPE Story
- [Tara] A little, let's see, about eight years ago, we'll say. I had been dating my now husband for three months. And we wound up pregnant and I was terrified. Terrified, I did not... I don't know how to take care of children. There was no way that I could be a good mother. There was just, there was no way. Like, I couldn't be pregnant. So, I was driving down um... And there was a huge billboard, just said got pregnant. And I thought, I gotta call. This is, I'm gonna call this number 'cause I didn't know what to do. I didn't know who to call and so they got me in right away. And I had told them my backstory about how there was no way I could be a good mother and they gave me an option, they told me that I qualified for a sonogram. And I went in and up on the ultrasound was like this little bean and it was heartbeat and it was amazing. I walked out of there. I thought, this is it, this is so cool, I'm gonna change my life, I'm gonna get myself together and then I never looked back and we had another child and I started going to West Side and decided that obedience was on my heart this year and I took a spiritual gifts assessment with Amy.
- [Amy] Every time I do a SHAPE assessment, I always pray in advance over the SHAPE assessment and over the person that I'm gonna be meeting with. And I'm asking God to prepare my heart so when I meet with them, I can give them really clear next steps. So I had no idea what Tara's story was. But I started making notes after my prayer time. And I had written down Advice and Aid as one of her next steps.
- [Tara] And so then we began talking about ways that I could serve. And she had mentioned this place. They do crisis pregnancy and I started getting really nervous, what's she gonna say? And so she named a place and I didn't recognize it of course and I asked her where it was at. And realized that that was the place that literally changed my life. So I was like oh, I'm gonna have to tell her my story.
- [Amy] And so, when people step into their SHAPE and start serving within their gift set and their abilities and they use their story and their experiences, they start to experience this fullness of life that Jesus talked about in John 10:10, it's really, really cool.
- [Tara] The test, in general, the assessment was spot on because before I was kinda floundering and oh, maybe I'll try to work here and I wasn't feeling it, but I felt like oh, I have to because that's what I'm supposed to do.
- [Amy] I am super passionate about SHAPE, I absolutely love it 'cause I love seeing people come alive. You really do see people come alive when they start getting into, when they start realizing they were made on purpose for a purpose. And they step into their calling. It's really, really cool.
- [Tara] And now, I'm expecting a third child. I never in my wildest dreams, ever. And I'll tell you, I've never felt chosen in my life, ever, ever. And I feel chosen because I've got three children.
- [Amy] I knew that only God could orchestrate this. Because He is such a God of redemption. And so, it was so cool to see how God was bringing her story together and how He does not waste a hurt.
- [Tara] God chose me to be a mother. And that's really cool. To be chosen to be a mother is the most amazing gift that I've ever had and then to be able to give back and if I can even help one person through this spiritual journey, I have to do it.