I know that many people in the church struggle. They have been told all their lives that the Holy Spirit dwells in them and they have gifts. Yet there are so many inactive in the church who would love to be active but don’t know their gifts. It is so easy to identify the musicians, the preachers, the testifiers, the prayer people. So what happens to you if you feel like your relationship with the Lord is important to you, but you don’t see those gifts in you?

One of the places I start is where I find my heroes by identifying those who meet my needs. I need people to listen to me, comfort me, correct or push me in the right direction, encourage me, remind me who I am in the Lord, keep to my commitments, walk with me during good and bad times, and so many other relationship connections. This is the base level area where the Holy Spirit flows, uses you, uses others for you, and confirms His life in you. We all need it, and we all need to give it.

This base line is often where we begin to identify our other gifts and begin to grow in the encouragement that God is using us. We find ourselves in Devine appointments in which we run across someone right at the time they really need a friend or a God connection, and there you are. Step in to it. You are God’s ambassador to give and receive love. You might be surprised, as I have been, that hurting people need to share love as they need to receive love and help. God is amazing in those moments. You will find yourself encouraged by encouraging others and find yourself loved by the person you are loving. God works in every direction to benefit His people.

Get involved with things you like and/or people you like. Your talent and identifiable gifts aren’t necessary. I started volunteering at the museum through a friend, Jeanie, a fellow teacher, who gets me into all kinds of things. We joke about it, but I’m profoundly grateful. I volunteered at the museum to give my drama students a place to perform and because I like history (no talent in that area and very self serving). Before long I became involved in the museum as my interest grew, still acting as a liaison for the students. I ended up stepping in to roles and jobs that I wasn’t qualified to perform, but no one qualified was available. I’m learning to be qualified as I serve.

I believe the museum is important to the health and well being of the community and fulfills my faith goals of serving the community in a health giving way in addition to it being a (growing) stronger interest for me. I am also growing in being less self serving and more servant minded. It is a process of growth. Sometimes I think we Americans have the weird notion that we start at excellent and get better from there.

The museum, and my service there, puts me in contact with other people and organizations. It provides me with a way to learn and expand, discovering unknown gifts along the way and polishing the ones which have already bubbled up to the surface. My example of the museum works in the church and any other interest area you may have. Many gifts bubble to the surface when you are put in a position where you have to dig through, what you might think is, junk drawers in your internal mental/emotional/talent house to find the one little thing you remember being somewhere. Sometimes you will simply begin to find or develop a talent you never realized was in you.

Scripture often tells us that by giving we receive. I believe it is that way with finding our gifts. You give away what you have, and you give away what others need. In the process you discover the living Jesus in you, ready to amplify your efforts to accomplish His goals of loving and rescuing the world. It is no surprise that He used the story of the mustard seed as an example. We often feel that we have nothing, or so little that it isn’t worth considering (the mustard seed). We later become amazed when the Lord turns that “nothing” into something.

When I was young, foolish, and destructive, the Lord sent many people to push me in the right direction and keep me alive until the change God planned for me could happen. Most of them were not around to see God change my life. However, they became my instant heroes when I got saved. I wanted, and still want, to be like them. Just like the scripture that talks about the little foxes spoiling the vine, it is all the little things God is doing along the way, which turn in to the giant miracles we all talk about.

We see the actors on stage or in the movies and think it is all about them. Check out the credits. It is amazing to see how many people, how many talents – large and small, it takes to give those actors their fame and moment in the spotlight. Each of those persons have powerful gifts that are critical to the success of the venture, even if they are not acclaimed or noticed by the crowd.

Sometimes the best gift to have is to be the light or camera person who helps another to see their gift or value. God is that way. He is continually spotlighting our value to Him and His desire for our relationship with Him. He steps back to put us on stage so we can see how important we are to Him. It is our hands and heart that He uses as His body to accomplish His goals. You are more gifted that you can imagine. It is okay to trip and fall along the path of discovery. Don’t fail to walk the path of discovery. God wants you, and the rest of us need you.