Purpose, Gifts, and Callingনমুনা

Understanding Your Gifts 

There are spiritual gifts, and there are vocational gifts. In first Corinthians 12, Apostle Paul writes to the  Church of God in Corinth about various spiritual gifts and their purposes. The gift of healing, the gift of prophecy, discernment, speaking in tongues, etc. All these gifts are to be used often in religious or spiritual gatherings with one cardinal aim - to edify the body of Christ, the Church. 

In Exodus 35 and 36, the Bible narrates how God gave special skills and abilities to different people in the Israelites camp to build the Lord's tabernacle. Bezalel, son of Uri, was filled with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craft. God gave Oholiab the ability to teach and many others. 

We are all born with a gift, but it's impossible to make use of what you don't know you have. 

How can you identify your vocational gift? Look for patterns in the things you do consistently well. Each one of us will shine at one time or more in doing something brilliantly well, but doing well at one task or event is not an indication that you have a gift in that area. Look out for consistency. 

Another mistake people make is they decide so early in life what they think their gifts and callings are. Hence, they pursue a specific field of study or a vocation only to realize in afteryears, that they really want something different with their life, and they could be more relevant doing it. "It's a waste of time to spend our lives climbing a ladder only to get to the top and realize it was leaning on the wrong wall."

Does embracing the gift of God mean I have to stick to one vocation all my life? No, but you are most likely to flourish and be more productive when you focus your time, energy, and resources in your area of giftedness. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to understand and embrace my divine gifts in life. Please, help me to focus my life on what really matters and help me to live for your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen