The Gifting

Day 1

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)

             Good things are not always God things. Just because we are good at something doesn’t mean that is what we are gifted in it. Plenty of people can stand in front of a room filled with young minds and present a decent lesson that delivers key points and important facts. But being good and being gifted are two different things.

              There is a local man who builds houses for a living. He doesn’t try to underbid anyone and he never price gouges; he assesses the situation, prices the materials, considers all the extras he may incur and creates a quote. If someone argues or decides not to go with his bid, he’s not upset, because this is his gifting.

              When he built my parents’ home, he worked on one foundational corner all day. It just about drove me nuts and I honestly felt like he was wasting time. Finally, I asked him and his answer floored me. “If the foundation is off, nothing in the rest of the house will ever be right.”

              Other contractors would have moved on. A thirty-second of an inch wouldn’t have mattered. But to this gifted builder it did. He was careful with every cut and when it came down to getting it done fast or getting it done right, he took his time. Every nail mattered. Each piece of trim needed to fit just right. Nothing could be neglected because the finished product meant intentional hard work all along the way. He poured his heart and soul into every part of the build, and everyone knew he was gifted as a contractor.

              In all professions there are average folks who are simply making a living. But then there are the ones who seem to be acting in some supernatural, superhero kind of power. Those are the ones who are in their gifting. Teaching is no different.

              I can interact with someone for a short amount of time and notice if they have the gift of teaching. These are the people who love their students and would give their left pinky toe for any of them in the room, even the most stubborn ones. They are constantly looking for ways to better themselves and excitedly place themselves in situations where they can be challenged to grow personally and professionally. Naturally, they know how to deescalate situations and motivate children to shift a mood or attitude. Words, explanations, and encouragement fall from their mouths like water from a spring. It’s like they were made for the classroom. Like peanut butter for jelly or socks for feet; it’s as natural as air itself.

              I’m a firm believer that God gives the gift of teaching to those who can use it in a trustworthy manner. Gifts are meant to be shared that is God’s great desire. Are you offering him your gift? Or are you holding anything back?

Do the Heart Work

1.      Who is one person you know for sure has the gift of teaching? How do you know?

2.      Do you remember when you realized God had given you a gift connected to teaching and interacting with young people? What was that realization like?

3.      How are you using the gift God gave you?

Digging Deeper

Read 2 Timothy 1:2-14 (NIV)

              To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us

              Paul didn’t want Timothy to forget, neglect, or abandon the great gift God placed inside of him. Neither do you. God has gifted you with the ability to work with students. Read these words to Timothy and let them encourage you in your role as an educator.

If You Get Spare Time 

              Think about the preciousness of the gift of teaching. Imagine it wrapped in sparkling paper, sitting on your table, God waiting on the other side for you to open it. Think of all he has planned for you through this gift. Not only for you, but the countless students who will be influenced, impacted, and forever changed because you fully open and accept this gift. Imagine who those students will become, the lives they will change. Are you fully utilizing the gift he’s given you?