1 Peter 4:10-11   10 Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.  11 If you have the gift of speaking, preach God’s message. If you have the gift of helping others, do it with the strength that God supplies. Everything should be done in a way that will bring honor to God because of Jesus Christ, who is glorious and powerful forever.

When God first created humans, he gave them a heavy responsibility—to look after his divine creation. The remarkable thing about this is that God chose to use us—flawed, impulsive humans—to be God’s hands and feet in the world.

Despite this challenge, God hasn’t left us out to dry. God has given us the tools we need to work in the world. In 1 Corinthians, Paul says that God has given people different gifts—some have the gift of prophecy, others the gift of interpretation. But no matter what the gift, the spirit behind the gift is the same. Everyone’s gifts are needed to proclaim God’s word to the ends of the earth.

But how do we discover what gifts God has given us? In my experience, it comes when we open ourselves up to God’s Spirit, even though we don’t know where it may lead. For example, when I left for service in Honduras, I didn’t know exactly what I would be doing, but I trusted that God had a plan. One thing I never expected was that I would be asked to preach. The first time the pastor at the small church in Tegucigalpa asked me to bring the message, I tried my best to get out of it. But he was persistent, and I decided to go for it. Apparently, the sermon wasn’t awful, because he asked me to preach three more times. By the fourth time, I was beginning to wonder if God was trying to nudge me toward ministry. Perhaps God was working through my Honduran pastor to help me discover one of my spiritual gifts.

A year of service is a wonderful way to discover the gifts God has given you. The varied, hands-on nature of a service assignment provides the kind of environment where God works best. Whether you are working with children in a daycare, serving meals to homeless men and women, or helping to build houses, you will have many opportunities to discover gifts you never knew you had.

Questions for reflection

1.  Think of a service project you’ve participated in. What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about the importance of service?

2.  Was there a time when you were surprised to discover a spiritual gift you didn’t know you had?

3.  In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of doing service, going to college or trade school, or working after high school?

Activity

Have each youth write their name at the top of a piece of paper. Pass around each one and have others in the youth group write one gift they see in each person.