What do we know about spiritual gifts? Not a lot. A simple google search on “passages relating to spiritual gifts” pulled up about three passages from scripture.
A little over a month ago I participated in a corporate fast with my church. Prior to the fast, we were asked to fast from something and to fast for something. The question being: “What distances you from God (that you could fast from) and what brings you closer to Him (that you could fast for)?”
I ended up landing on these:
From: scrolling (Facebook, Instagram, News Feed, Buzzfeed, etc.)
For: encouragement
I’m sure you’ve been there– you tell yourself “only 15 minutes on Facebook” and the next thing you know you’ve watched an hour-long compilation of the best Vines ever made. Scrolling seemed like an obvious choice to me– it was time spent that could be spent more wisely. So I gave up scrolling, but what did I add? Well, encouragement. That seems a bit… odd, right? But that’s where the Spirit led me.
Let me write that again: the Holy Spirit led me to fast for something He himself had gifted me with. Let’s say I won the lottery and gifted my best friend her dream car: a 2017 Fiat 500 Abarth with Rosso exterior finish and pearl white side stripe, premium leather-trimmed bucket seats, and of course, the sunroof. Then I tell her to use it. Like, duh, right? Girl is going to hop into that car so fast that the only thing I’ll feel is the wind in my face as she whips out of her driveway.
The Holy Spirit was telling me to use the very gift that he had given me: encouragement. It was as if he was calling to my attention the fact that I wasn’t using it at all.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” -Romans 12: 6-8
So, prior to the fast beginning, I set a goal to encourage one new person a day. Did I have a perfect record at the end of my fast? Far from it. But what I re-discovered was my gift– the ability to see in others something they may not have seen themselves and to encourage them in it. Encouraging, although a gift, did not come natural to me. It was an exercise, a muscle almost, that hadn’t been used in a while and that the Spirit was asking me to work.
A few Sundays back, after the fast had concluded, I heard a sermon taught on Jesus feeding the five thousand in which the pastor applied the story to spiritual gifts. Jesus asks the disciples: “‘How many loaves do you have? Go and see.’” They brought back five loaves and two fish. And what does Jesus do? He blesses it, he breaks it, and he multiplies it. (Luke 9: 10-17)
Sisters, do you know what your spiritual gift is? Go and see. Ask those closest to you what they notice sets on you fire for God and others– that is where you’ll find your gifting. God asks us to bring him what we have. No more, no less. He doesn’t ask us to go and take a strengths finder test, he doesn’t ask us about our Myers-Briggs score, he simply asks us to go and see and to bring him what we have, to bring him who we are. When we do, he blesses us, he breaks us, and he multiplies our sacrifice.
Heavenly Father, I give you praise for how you’ve created us– for your good and for your glory, to love and serve you and to love and serve others. Would you stir the Spirit in us to remind us what he has gifted us with. Would we go and see and bring you who we are, and not strive to be more than we are. Thank you God that you bless us. Thank you for the breaking; would we recognize the breaking as something that draws us nearer to you. Father, would you multiply and multiply and multiply the gifts you’ve given us to feed the thousands. Amen.