Kara Taylor

Kara Taylor is twenty-six years old, married, and a graduate student. She is studying to be a special education teacher. However, her first passion is serving the Lord. She attends Lakeshore Bible Church in Tempe, AZ where she leads worship and is involved in various ministries. She is a writer and shares testimonies of the awesome presence of God in her life.

 

 

Developing your Gift

How is God speaking to you today? I’m sure we have heard this phrase many times. Communication with God is available, and consistent if we let it become that. We are always in communication with Him, and He reveals himself in subtle or very obvious ways.

Romans 12:6 tells us that “we have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” As we explore our spiritual gifts, we can become closer to God. As a musician creates music or an artist develops a portrait, they learn something about their ability. A gift always involves a receiver and a giver. Someone cannot open a gift that was not specifically chosen for them.

When a child opens a gift from his father, he can trust that his father was thinking of him when he chose it. The father knew what he wanted to give and wrapped it up. The joy came when he was able to watch his son open the gift. This demonstrates the trust of a relationship. The child is then free to explore his gift and discover everything about it.

A developmental theory of multiple intelligences says that individuals learn best in areas that come naturally to them. This means that people who are musical may learn through music and those who are technical may learn through experience. One type of learning is not better than another type of learning, just as “there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men” (1 Cor. 12:4-6). We may all find our unique gift, which will strengthen our relationship with God. Our spiritual gift will give us opportunities to do good works, it will also help us learn about ourselves and connect with God.

Developing your spiritual gift will distract you from the world by not “conforming to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). What do you learn about yourself when you are using your gift? Ask yourself why God chose this for you, and how you can continually use it to draw closer to Him.

The child explored his gift from his father, which was a shiny red bicycle. He was free to learn to ride it. He tried to pedal as fast as he could and fell down numerous times. His father explained that he didn’t have to be the best at it, and didn’t have to learn on his own. The child asked his father to hold the back of the bicycle as he learned to ride it. He trusted that he would not fall down. The child loved to ride bicycles, but more importantly he realized that his father guided him the whole way.

How is God speaking to you through your gifts and abilities? It is good to use our gift to serve others, but easy to miss how it can serve God? How can we put our trust in God when we develop our gift? “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;” (Proverbs 3:5).

May we trust that our gifts are intentional, and a way to commune with God and serve others.