|
Because it Provides us Ways to
Express our Gifts
Notice how the student closed his
reflection in the previous paragraph. His participation in
service-learning helped him learn something about his strengths
and gifts. One of the key features of service-learning at Lee
University is that we help you identify your strengths and
encourage you to find ways to express them. If you haven't
already taken the StrengthsFinder test as part of your Gateway
class, you will soon!
Recall the passage from 1 Peter 4:7-11. We are charged to use
whatever gifts we've been given to serve others as an expression
of God's grace. Each of us has gifts from God. In 1 Corinthians
12:4-7, Paul is explaining some key principles about the gifts
to the people in the church at Corinth. They had been placing a
premium on one spiritual gift above the others which led to a
great deal of dissension. Paul instructed them that there was a
diversity gifts from a God who is diverse (Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit). In verse 7, he closes his thoughts with, "Now to
each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common
good." Essentially, he's saying that we all have received a
gift, which is the manifestation of the Spirit, and that we must
remember that it is to be used to benefit others.
One of the key points is that there are no first-class or no
second-rate gifts. All of the gifts emit from God. All followers
of Christ are priests. In fact, we not only believe that there
are no second-class gifts but we as a campus base much of our
philosophy on the idea that you are God's workmanship and that
you are here to do good works that God already has planned for
you to do (Ephesians 2:10). In fact, the word used for
workmanship actually implies that we are God's masterpiece.
Therefore, feel confident in the gifts God has given you. You
don't have to have the gifts your pastor, a professor, a Lee
administrator, or a student leader has. Know your gifts and use
them! As C. S. Lewis points out, "There are no ordinary
people" (Hooper, 1992, p. 38).
Now that we know we all have significant gifts to be shared,
what's the next step? Find a need and respond to it. Join your
fellow students, your instructor, and your peer leader in
serving in an area of need in our community and around the
world. As you experiment with different service-learning
projects this semester in Gateway and beyond, stay mindful of
your gifts and where your gifts are needed. This will be an
incredible journey of giving, reflection, and growth. As you
continue to discern God's call on your life, keep theologian
Frederick Buechner's (1993) powerful thought in mind: "The
place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and
the world's deep hunger meet" (p. 119).
NEXT:
Conclusion -->
|
