Gifts

What is a gift? A gift is a natural ability or capacity, a natural endowment or talent. A gift is often something given to someone specifically with him or her in mind. A gift is something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient. A gift is also something we should share with others or use to serve others.

God has gifted us with the natural ability or capacity to do something or to be a certain way. Many of you are familiar with the following verse from 1 Corinthians 12:28, which reads, “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.”

God has gifted you in a very special way, specifically for you. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5a). God has gifted you for His calling upon your life, and He has done so with a plan in mind. The Lord proclaims, “For I know the plans I have for you” (Jeremiah 29:11). Further, He has and will continue to give you what you need to fulfill His will.

God has gifted you without any effort on your part. You were born with your gifts. Granted, no one comes out of the womb teaching, healing or proselytizing, but there is a good chance that over the years you have found things that you do well without really even trying, things that come naturally.

God has gifted each of us in specific ways to serve his purpose, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10). We honor Him when we use the gifts He has given us in ways that please Him. A Danish proverb reads, “What you are is God’s gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God.”

So, what gifts has God given you? Do you know? Moreover, what do you do with your gifts once you have identified them? If you do not know what your gifts are, here is my “two cents”… feel free to give me back some change:

· Pray for guidance and be ready to listen. The first step in figuring out just about anything is to pray. God wants us to ask for His guidance, but He also wants us to listen. I think we sometimes ask the question, but then fail to listen for the answer.
· Consider the innate desire that you have to serve others. In what ways do you see yourself serving others for glorifying God? Specifically, what are you doing? What skills were involved? How does it feel?
· Consider the ways in which you have already been successful. In what contexts have you been most successful? What were you doing? What role did you play? What skills were involved? How does it feel?
· Consider the opportunities in your environment. What needs to be done? Where do you see yourself as a best fit?
· Ask your trusted life advisors. For some people, your trusted advisors may be your parents or close friends, or they may be pastors or others involved in the church. Regardless, people close to you may be able to see your life from a different perspective and point out themes that you may have missed.
· Take an assessment. Sure, assessments are not always accurate. However, sometimes they can provide clarity by giving you the opportunity to affirm or deny the results. In addition, assessments can equip you with new ways to articulate what you feel intuitively, which can spur a more focused search. Here is the free test that was mentioned on the Center for Student Development’s career development web site.