2. Ask other believers to describe what they see
in you.
This is the simplest place to get started.
Simply ask other believers who have come to know you as a friend (or, perhaps,
knew you even before you became a Christian), “What do you think I would be
good at? What do you see in me as abilities that I might contribute to the work
of Jesus in our community or in our congregation?” Listen to them carefully.
Take notes. Ask more than one or two individuals. Look at your notes and see if
themes emerge. If several people mention the same thing, that is worth
considering. Respect the individual who asks for time to think; they may
provide more insight than the person who responds immediately.
This method works better if the friends you ask
for input have seen you in a variety of activities. If all they have seen of
you is when you are participating in worship or sitting in a Bible study, then
they really don’t have enough observations of you to give valid responses. Most
churches have a variety of one-day events and short-term projects for outreach
and ministry, and it is important that you participate in a number of these with
your friends so that they can get a range of observations upon which to base
their feedback to you.
If you are a regular participant in a small
group, this might be done as a group exercise. It is a common practice for
small groups to go around the circle and for each member to describe what
strengths and abilities they see in a new member. This is not usually done immediately
after a new member joins the group, but perhaps six months or a year later. In
some small group ministries it is the practice to do this on the one-year
anniversary of a new member joining the group.
This same exercise is also done in classes on
spiritual gifts. It is important to always consider this kind of input as one
source of information that needs to be confirmed by other sources. No small
group or class has the right to impose an idea about the gifts of an individual
on that person. It is simply information that is to be considered and prayed about.
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