by Debra K. Farrington

The story is an obscure one for most of us. In 1 Kings 3 God invited Solomon to ask for whatever he might need to be a good king. Solomon could have asked for wealth or power — the kinds of things a king might find helpful. But instead he asked for what translates literally as a "hearing heart," a heart filled with God’s wisdom, and he asked for this not only for his own sake, but specifically so he could govern and care for the people God had entrusted to him. In other words, he asked for gifts that would make him a better servant of the Lord. We should all be so wise.

In my retreats, I sometimes ask people to name one or two of their own gifts. That activity makes most of us uncomfortable. I remember a time when a spiritual director asked me to do the same thing years ago and I came up with a long list of my faults, but couldn’t think of a single gift.

In this culture, and perhaps most particularly as women, we are encouraged to be quiet about our gifts, so as not to brag about them. But knowing what God has given to us to use isn’t bragging, and it is essential to being the best servant we can be.

If naming and claiming your gifts makes you squirm, think of it this way. If God gave you a bunch of wrapped presents, would you leave them wrapped for your whole life, or would you open them to see what God has given you? If you don’t know what gifts God has given you, how will you use them to serve God and God’s people?

So take some time this month to make a list — even a short one — of some of the gifts that God has given you. Name all those activities that you really enjoy, the ones that make you light up and that renew your energy when you engage in them; this is usually a sign that these activities indeed call on your gifts from God. Gifts differ for everyone and can be almost anything. For instance, some have gifts for caring for children, budgeting, managing a business, gardening, writing, listening to others — God’s generosity goes on and on.

Now take your list and think about how you might use those gifts to serve God and God’s people. Think widely here. At a retreat I led, someone told me that she thought her artistic talent was a gift from God, but that her art served no one. I beg to differ! Art can open our eyes to God’s beauty or truth, and it can serve God and God’s people very well indeed.

Once you’ve been able to name and claim some of the gifts God has given you, you may discover that you, too, have been serving God and those around you in ways that you might not have recognized before.

By recognizing your gifts you will also have the opportunity to become an even better servant of the Lord, like Solomon, who cares well for those God has entrusted to us.

Debra K. Farrington has written eight books of Christian spirituality. Check out her Web site at www.debrafarrington.com

This article is published in the May 2008 issue of Lutheran Woman Today.

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