Putting It All Together
Most people might be musing over their day while they mop floors, but I was trying to figure out how my strengths are compatible with my spiritual gifts. At first I had them set up as two lists in my head. One was "Strengths," under which I listed Responsibility, Belief, and Learning. The other list was "Spiritual Gifts," under which I listed Faith, Poverty, and Celibacy. I tried to draw lines between them in my head, matching each one with another, and then redrawing the lines because they didn't fit. Then I realized I was looking at it all wrong. The way to do it is to imagine yourself going in circles, where each gift plays a part in each strength and vice versa.
For example, my Belief strength would not exist without my spiritual gift of Faith. At the same time, it is because of my beliefs that I have faith. It goes in a circle. If I did not have faith that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that He has the power the save me from sin, I would not have belief. Faith and Belief are two of the most compatible gifts I have.
My Belief strength also goes hand in hand with my spiritual gifts of Poverty and Celibacy. I do not believe that being rich is sinful, but I do believe God calls us to forsake what we have and follow Him. It is because of this belief that I will give up my material possessions if He should ask it of me. Over the summer I had the amazing opportunity to see God provide money for me when I needed it, which strengthened my belief in His provision. If I gave up everything, I believe He would take care of me.
With the gift of Celibacy, I am willing to live life as a single, and I am convinced that I can live this way without regret. That does not mean I don't have bad days where all the other girls who have boyfriends seem like the luckiest girls in the world. Just because I have a spiritual gift doesn't mean I don't struggle, too. Being the way I am (boyfriendless) is a choice I make based on my belief that God will fulfill my desires at the right time, which is in His time. So far, whenever I have felt lonely or cast aside, God has shown me once again that His love is far greater than the fickle attention I think I want. This only confirms and strengthens my beliefs again. It is a circle.
Learning also has a circle, though it is different than Belief's. The more I read about people of faith, the more I want to grow to be like them. My strength of Learning strength deepens my gift of Faith. The same thing works with Poverty and Celibacy. The more I learn about people who are poor and in need of God's love, the more I want to do something for them. When I hear about another shallow relationship wasted away I feel confirmed in my desire and willingness to be single. Ultimately, my learning complements my spritual gifts because it helps me see how I am using them in my life.
After a lot of introspective thought (and a lot of mopping floors), I have concluded that my strengths are compatible with my gifts. What now, though? What will I do with it? This is where my Responsibility strength will come into the circles. Having this strength means that I take ownership of the tasks I am given. The task I have is to use my talents and gifts for God, but this must not be my sole objective. The real goal is to deepen my relationship with Christ and let Him work through my talents as He has already been doing. In the end, knowing I have these gifts means I will be able to understand a little bit more of the way Christ is working in my life, and what He wants me to do in the future.
For example, my Belief strength would not exist without my spiritual gift of Faith. At the same time, it is because of my beliefs that I have faith. It goes in a circle. If I did not have faith that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that He has the power the save me from sin, I would not have belief. Faith and Belief are two of the most compatible gifts I have.
My Belief strength also goes hand in hand with my spiritual gifts of Poverty and Celibacy. I do not believe that being rich is sinful, but I do believe God calls us to forsake what we have and follow Him. It is because of this belief that I will give up my material possessions if He should ask it of me. Over the summer I had the amazing opportunity to see God provide money for me when I needed it, which strengthened my belief in His provision. If I gave up everything, I believe He would take care of me.
With the gift of Celibacy, I am willing to live life as a single, and I am convinced that I can live this way without regret. That does not mean I don't have bad days where all the other girls who have boyfriends seem like the luckiest girls in the world. Just because I have a spiritual gift doesn't mean I don't struggle, too. Being the way I am (boyfriendless) is a choice I make based on my belief that God will fulfill my desires at the right time, which is in His time. So far, whenever I have felt lonely or cast aside, God has shown me once again that His love is far greater than the fickle attention I think I want. This only confirms and strengthens my beliefs again. It is a circle.
Learning also has a circle, though it is different than Belief's. The more I read about people of faith, the more I want to grow to be like them. My strength of Learning strength deepens my gift of Faith. The same thing works with Poverty and Celibacy. The more I learn about people who are poor and in need of God's love, the more I want to do something for them. When I hear about another shallow relationship wasted away I feel confirmed in my desire and willingness to be single. Ultimately, my learning complements my spritual gifts because it helps me see how I am using them in my life.
After a lot of introspective thought (and a lot of mopping floors), I have concluded that my strengths are compatible with my gifts. What now, though? What will I do with it? This is where my Responsibility strength will come into the circles. Having this strength means that I take ownership of the tasks I am given. The task I have is to use my talents and gifts for God, but this must not be my sole objective. The real goal is to deepen my relationship with Christ and let Him work through my talents as He has already been doing. In the end, knowing I have these gifts means I will be able to understand a little bit more of the way Christ is working in my life, and what He wants me to do in the future.
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