Discovering Your Gifts: A Lifelong Journey

I used to think that God’s plan was to put people into roles they weren’t good at so that He would get all the glory. After all, when He wanted to slay a giant He sent a shepherd, and when Jesus picked His disciples He chose a bunch of fisherman. So I figured that if I wanted to really serve God, I should find the thing I was least good at and do that.

Looking back, that was silly. David had already defeated lions and bears (1 Sam 17:36) and would go on to be an amazing military hero. For God who knows the future, he was a natural choice to slay a giant! And yes, some of Jesus’s disciples were fisherman – who were then uniquely effective at ministering to the vast majority of Israelites who had similar jobs. And after His resurrection Jesus then called Paul with the impressive resume (Acts 22:3-5, Acts 26:24) to be an apostle able to preach to the scholars in Athens and to high officials in the Roman Empire.

And my idea of focusing on my weaknesses didn’t even make sense. My worry was that I could take credit for the things I was good at, but it is God who made me able to do certain things well (Deuteronomy 8:17-18, Exodus 31:1-11). Any good thing I do using my strengths is for His glory!

So give your strengths to God (which is only fair since He gave them to you to begin with). Here are some clues that may help you identify your strengths.

Take note of tasks that you finish more quickly and excellently than others – especially others who are good at related tasks. Once you see what sets you apart from others who are also gifted in a certain area you are getting close to discovering your real strengths.

Also notice what annoys you. Do you really notice off-key music? Do you get distracted by typographic errors? Does poor font choice drive you up the wall? If you are consistently annoyed by something it is likely because you have the ability to see how much better it could be, and there’s a clue to an emerging strength in that.

Also notice areas in which you others give you opportunities. Have you been invited to write or the local newspaper instead of only for the school newspaper? Have you been invited to play on the adult worship team at church as well as on the youth team? Opportunities that are set before you are a clue that you have a gift you can cultivate further. This is a much better clue that paying attention to the compliments you receive. Words are cheap, but opportunities cost someone something. Opportunities are evidence that you have a gift you can cultivate.

So whatever you do well, do it for God’s glory. Discovering your gifts will be a lifetime journey. You’ll get progressively better at discovering what you’re uniquely gifted at with time and experience.

Glen Davis
Chi Alpha at Stanford University