... if I stop asking God to give me gifts that I don't have and instead be bold in asking him to help me use the gifts I do have for the best possible good?
There are many gifts that I feel I ought to have (being a minister's wife and all!) but don't have as part of my personal make up. I believe that practice makes you better at things, so I could apply myself to the diligent cultivation of such gifts. For the last many years I've felt that faithful service of God meant me desiring a 'minister's wife' gift-set*.
But now I'm wondering if a true understanding of the body and of humility requires me to just be content with who I am. There are all sorts of things that I'm not good at. Others will need to do these things. Because if I did do them, I wouldn't have time to do the things which are actually my thing. (And I'm pretty bad at them anyway.)
Now, you are probably thinking 'Duh! Of course!' But what if I made a list of the gifts I don't have and have decided not to pursue, and you find that they are the things that you think are the most important of all - the particular gifts that you think all else should be sacrificed for? Would that make a difference?
*interestingly, I've always defined the minister's wife gift-set as that particular set of gifts I don't have!
My strongly held opinion is that most of the stuff said about gifts is a load of baloney.
ReplyDeleteThe gift is the person, not their superpowers. So, be you, with my blessing.
Yeah. Be you. With his blessing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anthony. The gifts given by the ascended Christ (Eph 4: 8) are us.
ReplyDeleteI stopped having these arguments with God years ago.
I agree with Anthony & Al. I'm also reminded of the story of the talents - do your best with what you've got; after all, if you aren't making best use of those, why should God give you any others? But if you are making full use of them, then it shows you can be entrusted with more.
ReplyDeleteApart from that, the only set I can think of for a minister's wife are the same as for a minister's husband, or any other Christian for that matter, and are actually fruits of the Spirit's work in us, not 'gifts'.