Today is Day 2 of our challenge and it’s time to Unleash Your Gifts.
Have you ever seen something unleashed? My dog Bert (See below – yeah, I know he is adorable) went camping with me last week. Now Bert doesn’t have a fenced in yard so the ONLY time he is outside is when I walk him on a leash. But, Bert won the doggie lottery this week camping because we camped on an island in the middle of a lake. He was allowed to be outdoors leash free for an entire day.
When he hopped off the party barge and his tiny little dachador (half dachshund, half labrador) legs hit land he went CRAZY running circles around the island as fast as he possibly could. I’m sure Bert thought he had landed on Fantasy Island and got to be a prize winning grey hound for a day.
He was the personification…well okay, dogification in his case…of joy. Why? Because he was outdoors where he was meant to be, untethered and running free in the fullness of his dogginess.
Well, today is the day when we begin to unleash your gifts so you can run free in the fullness of who God meant you to be.
Your gifts are the second critical component of knowing your purpose. God gave you gifts not just so you could enjoy them, but so that you could benefit others.
“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:7
Think of your gifts as the “ROLE” you play in the lives of your RECIPIENTS. Yesterday you added the word recipient next to #1 on the purpose diagram. Today, add the word “ROLE” next to #2 on the bottom circle. Like this:
Knowing your gifts is so critical because it is the key to joy and effectiveness. So let’s dive into your gifts and discover the role God wants you to play in making a positive impact on the world.
When I say gifts I want you to think broadly. Consider natural talents you have, spiritual gifts, skills you have learned, or special knowledge you may possess. All of these can play an important role in how you serve others.
Here are some questions to consider that might point you toward your gifts.
1) Is there anything people regularly ask you to do or help them with because you’re good at it? For example, people ask me to help them with computer issues all the time. Also, I get asked to speak or act in things because I am gifted at performing in front of people. Or for example, I have a friend who is a great man of prayer and people are always asking him to pray for them.
2) What do people ask you questions about because of special knowledge you have? For example, I get questions about nature because I have been through a lot of nature observation training classes and I love the outdoors. I also get questions about Bible passages and time management.
3) What do you love to do? Dance, sing, do math, fish, hang out with your kids, roller skating, work on cars, home repairs, carpentry, read, cooking, sewing, etc. The sky is the limit here.
4) What training do you have in something that you really enjoy? For example, life guarding, children’s ministry, teaching, health care, counseling, etc.
5) What are spiritual gifts you might possess? Here are some listed in the Bible: exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, prophecy, service, teaching, administration, discernment, faith, healing, helps, knowledge, miracles, prophecy, teaching, tongues, tongues interpretation, wisdom, evangelism, and hospitality.
Don’t worry about how functional or utilitarian the answers are to any of these questions.
TODAY’S EXERCISE
ACTION STEP #1 Make three lists of your gifts.
Specifically, make a list of natural talents, Spiritual gifts and skills, and special knowledge. I have provided a worksheet with space for you to record your answers to the reflection questions above and to create your three lists. (See the attached file)
Don’t stress over distinguishing whether something is a natural talent, spiritual gift, or a skill. Record a gift wherever it feels best for you. For example, may be you are a gifted singer. That could easily be categorized as a skill or natural talent. How you categorize gifts is irrelevant for the purpose of what we are doing.
Here’s part of what’s on my lists:
Natural Talents: Acting/public speaking, creative problem solving, leadership
Spiritual Gifts and Skills: Bible study, nature observation, survival skills, guitar, banjo, painting, drawing, youth ministry, pastoral care, preaching, teaching
Special Knowledge: marketing, computer skills, wordpress, time management, project management, discipleship
ACTION STEP #2 Let your dog off the leash — Take a Gift Step
Exercise one gift from your list in the next 24 hours. Select something you really enjoy but it’s been on a leash – meaning you haven’t used it for a while. For example, my banjo has been in the case way too long. I am going to spend 30 minutes or so, just kicked back and playing the banjo.
If you want you can benefit someone with your gift but for the sake of this exercise it is 100% acceptable for you to just play and enjoy one of your gifts today. This is all about exercising what’s been neglected and feeling the joy of being in one of your gifts. We’ll work on making the effort purposeful later.
ACTION STEP #3 Post to the group what you will be doing as a Gift Step.
You can use the following formula: In the next 24 hours I am going to unleash my gift of <insert gift> by <insert action step>.
Here’s mine:
“In the next 24 hours, I am going to unleash my gift of playing the banjo by playing for 30 minutes and shooting a quick banjo break video for Facebook.”
Well that’s it for Day 2. I’ll be LIVE on Facebook at 11am (CDT) Tuesday reviewing the lesson and answering questions about your ROLE.
Lastly, once you have decided your gift step to benefit one of your recipients don’t forget to head over to Facebook and leave a comment on today’s post with it.
Blessings,
John Arnold
The Practical Disciple