I've been thinking a lot lately about purpose and giftings. Maybe it's because most people around me who are my age are still trying to "find" theirs, whatever that means. Anyone else feel strange that we talk about our God-given gifts and purpose as something we need to find? If we are trying to find something that usually means that we either lost it, or we didn't have it in the first place. Yet, if we truly believe that our gifts and purpose are God-given or "innately within us" (if you haven't jumped on the Jesus-following train yet), then that must mean that we don't have something to "find" we just have something that we need to be brave enough to take hold of and actually use. Last summer when my pastor was preaching on spiritual gifts, I realized that one of mine is encouragement. This made sense in light of how I view people and their capabilities and I wondered how I never realized it before. I've always just naturally seen people for who they are and my heart always sees them as more than they tend to see themselves. This is my favorite part of teaching. Showing my kids what they can do, helping them believe in themselves, and giving them the courage to keep going. This is what I'm good at... so then why do I so often not see myself this way. We've heard over and over that we're our own worst enemy. It's true. I've noticed that I give up on myself much faster than I give up on others. Actually, I've noticed that in the people who encourage me the most too. I've seen the people who remind me that I am capable, that I'm good at what I do, that I am strong, and that I just need to learn from my failure and try again, crumble in defeat. I've seen them give up on themselves. I've seen that look on their face that tells me they're about to quit because my own demeanor takes on the same shape in those moments. It is in my own brink-of-defeat moments that I need my people the most. I need those people whom I have no doubt have been gifted with an uncanny penchant for encouragement too. I need those people who I've seen fail to tell me that I am capable. I need them because even though I've seen them not believe in themselves, I know that when they encourage me, they really mean it. I know because I am the same. I know because when I fail, I can look at someone else and encourage them and believe in them as much as I believe that the sun is going to rise in the morning. I think once we realize our giftings we see that as the end-all-be-all. We think, okay, now I'm set. Encouragement. I've got this. Then when we fail to use our gifts to help ourselves we think that maybe we were wrong, maybe that one thing isn't really a gift of ours. But if there's one thing I have learned, it's that we were not made to do anything alone. I need others who have been gifted with the unique ability to greatly encourage because I need people to fill up my well when I've drawn it dry. So maybe, fellow young adult, still-don't-know-who-let-me-actually-be-an-adult peers, it's not about "finding ourselves" or our purpose, but it's about realizing that we already have what we are looking for. Now we just have to notice the people around us fumbling along in the same ways that we are who can help fill us up when we forget who we've been created to be.
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Author4th grade teacher. Writer. Justice-seeker. Encourager. CrossFitter. John 11:40. Archives
July 2017
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