Everyone on this earth has spiritual gifts from God, Christian or not. It’s true! I’m very good at pointing out spiritual gifts- perhaps that’s my spiritual gift….Seriously, though, what has God given you that you can give back to the world? Romans 12 shows that every person has gifts and those gifts may be different for every person: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom 12:6-8, ESV). So, let’s use our gifts!
But, what if we have no idea what our gifts are? What if we feel we have no gifts? Ah yes, this is a problem, and one I constantly struggle with. In this world today, people are always striving for better things, to better themselves no matter who it may hurt in the process. Magazines portray perfect men, women, children, and homes. TV shows an idyllic world, and guess what? It’s fake! However, after watching these shows and seeing images of ‘perfect’ people, it gets into our brains and tells us we’re not good enough. I can play piano and organ, but after listening to the classic music station on the radio, I don’t really think I’m that good. The clothes I wear are still somewhat modest, but the magazines are telling me I need shorter shorts, and more revealing shirts or else I won’t be liked- I’ll be looked at as the different one. I need to wear make-up to look nice, and take extra time on my hair. I’ve been so affected by society that sometimes, when I hear that God loves me anyway no matter what I do, there is NO WAY I can believe that. What’s the evidence? I’m not good enough, plain and simple.
Now, I know this is a message we’ve all heard many times before, but it’s always worth repeating. God does love you, no matter what you do or what you look like! We call our gifts ‘spiritual’ for a reason- they’re not meant to be compared to flawed standards of society, they’re meant to be used for God! And God really wants us to use our gifts; imagine giving someone a gift that they stored in their closet for years and never used? Yeah, same thing with spiritual gifts. I myself am still working on this area of Biblical Living in my own life, and it’s not easy. Sometimes, using those spiritual gifts for God leaves us vulnerable under the eye of society and we may feel alone, but it’s important to remember: you are not alone! Not only are you joined by an uncountable number of Christians around the world using their gifts, but God is always with you too!
-Stephanie
Ancient Living 