More on gift morphing at times?--Gifts FAQ
In facilitating and teaching the Your Unique Design Sessions to a variety of groups, I have gathered questions along the way. This and several future blog posts will capture some of those questions and my responses.
More on gift morphing at times?
It is quite possible that your gifts have changed from one stage of life to another. Ones you may have had and used may no longer be the ones that God intends you to continue to use. Think of the example of the Apostle Paul—when in his missionary journeys of church-planting vs. later in life when under house arrest. His gifts appear to shift from one season to the next—based on what God desires Paul do and on Paul’s changing life circumstances. Paul goes from exhibiting apostleship, evangelism, leadership, and teaching on his church-planting, evangelistic travels to being arrested and imprisoned and using quite different gifts like artistic expression, exhortation, shepherding, and wisdom—as his ministry becomes letter-writing to established congregations. Perhaps in this time of your life, you have quite different gifts to be developed than in previous years. How might your current mix of gifts help define your current purpose?
Sometimes our gifts and our callings change with significant events. We may be doing what we are designed for—what we are good at—and life intervenes in ways that take us in another direction (ex. motherhood, illness, caregiving, unexpected job changes…). In these moments, we ask God—“now what?” “What, Lord, would you have me do in this situation?” “Who am I to BE, given these circumstances? Things to ask: Where has some challenge or seeming roadblock intervened to change your course? What might God wish to do with that change of course? How will you serve Him with your new purpose/newly-discovered gifts? What shape might that new calling take?
It could also be that your top gifts results are mostly the same, but have been reordered lately. What does that perhaps tell you about God’s intent for how you spend your time? For example, in recent years, my gift of Hospitality dropped to the bottom of my top results and the gift of Teaching rose to second on the list. Or, perhaps you have just changed jobs or retired. For example, maybe you have been a Teacher in a classroom. Maybe the Lord still desires you to use your Teaching gift—but, today, that looks like more one-on-one interactions. Same gift but different form/context.
Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, DIOS. DONES. TÚ.: Tu llamado y diseño único (Spanish Edition), and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with hundreds of faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and executive leaders in a diversity of fields for four decades. She currently serves as Catalyst for Equipping at her church.
Photo © Shirley Giles Davis.
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