Spiritual Gifts

I feel blessed to help lead my church’s Wednesday night ministry to fifth and sixth graders. They challenge me, they ask me hard questions, they drive me to my knees often (either that they know Him better or that they sit quietly for two seconds in a row so they can learn).

Anyway, last night we talked about Spiritual gifts and we gave them each a survey to help them discover their gifts.

I’ll be honest, I hate those tests. I detest figuring out if I 1-never 2-seldom 3-sometimes 4-often or 5-always feel or do something. I loathe the feeling that I want all the gifts and thus I want to write a 5 in one area when really I need to write a 2. Don’t get me wrong, I know these things are helpful. Yet I rebel and struggle against the labels, the boxes they put me in. Mostly I rebel against seeing the areas I am weakest in, the areas I need to ask God to help me be more like Jesus…

Yes that is green and blue icing smudged on the paper

Me and my attitude didn’t want to fill out the paper. I did fill it out. I filled it out because there are girls in the room struggling to figure out what “strong-willed” means. I filled it out because I am an example. I filled it out with my bad attitude self asking God to show me. Am I really doing what You have for me to do?

The seven categories were: Prophecy (Perceiver), Serving, Teaching, Exhortation (Encouragement), Giving, Leadership (Administration), and Mercy (Compassion).

Drum roll please…….

My top two were a tie:  Leadership (Administration) and Teaching
– No real surprise. God confirmed what I already have a passion for. I thanked God for that confirmation.

A close second was: Prophecy (Perceiver)
– I like to think I am discerning. I got a bit squeamish here because once I think I am good at this whole discerning/perceiving thing, I sometimes try to do it without God. So prayed, Lord may I never lean on my own understanding…

What saddened me was the bottom two…Serving and Mercy
– How can I lead without serving and how can I serve without mercy? I realize these are just areas I am not as gifted in. But God calls us to “love mercy” (Micah 6:8) and to servant leadership (Luke 22:26-27).

So I walked away from the dreaded Spiritual Gifts test encouraged and challenged.

Encouraged to keep teaching, keep leading, keep perceiving knowing these gifts are from God not me.
Challenged to serve as I teach, lead, and perceive.
Challenged to love mercy.

Not because I am gifted or because it is easy for me, but because God calls me to love mercy and to serve others.

This is the year of growth. I hear Him calling me to grow in mercy and service. Where is He calling you to grow? I would love to hear from you.

Angela Mackey

Author and Speaker

Angela is a stumbling woman in need of God’s scandalous grace. Through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, she bears the name Christian. She speaks and writes to make much of this God, His only Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit who lives in her. She graduated college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and is a Registered Nurse. She also obtained her Masters of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies through Knox Theological Seminary.