Happy New Year! The gifts have all been given and received and as the New Year begins, it’s the gifts that dwell within each of us, those often left unopened or only “peeked at” that deserve a fresh look as our New Year begins.

Resolutions will be made and broken. We’ve all been there and done that, but perhaps it’s in focusing on the Spiritual Gifts that we each possess, that have been given to us in grace, that can guide us into the New Year with a new and refreshed purpose.

In a 2004 Discipleship Journal article, Paul Thigpen discusses the Ancient Christians who wandered and lived in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East and how they, “learned over a lifetime of focusing on God that spiritual strength, growth, and stamina – like physical strength, growth and stamina follow certain rules or principles arising from the way that God has made us.” The original article is tattered and yet it is a reminder to me, years later, that I must understand that being “spiritually disciplined” is not a burden, but a new way of looking at the gifts that I’ve been given.

In order to USE these gifts, we have to identify what they are, and then prayerfully look deep within ourselves to discover which we’ve been blessed with. If we begin the New Year having identified our Spiritual Gifts and then commit to USE them to serve those around us, then our New Year holds such promises. It’s in Paul’s books of Romans, Corinthians, and Ephesians where we can glean an understanding of what exactly these Spiritual Gifts are. We’re going to take a look at the gifts listed in Romans 12:4-.

Romans 12:4-8 reads, “ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same functions, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging (exhorting), let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others (giving), let him give generously; if it is leadership (organizing), let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (NIV)

I can’t help but think that those of us who have been called into homeschooling our children have been gifted in the area of teaching, but have we forgotten the other gifts? It’s only through meditation and prayer that we can look inside ourselves and see the gifts that God has so generously given to us to use for Him. It’s often in our busyness that we overlook them. It’s a new year! It’s a new beginning! Let’s commit this year not to a resolution, but to celebrating our Spiritual Gifts and sharing them with the world around us. To do so, we’ll need a closer look at those gifts mentioned in Romans.

Prophecy
Are you the gal who wants the world to know the “truth?” The woman who has the Spiritual Gift of prophecy proclaims the truth of Christ at all costs.  She’s likely to be decisive and firm and extremely passionate! This gal has a deep sense of virtue and justice (seeing sinful ways and helping others find the truth). If this is your gift, perhaps you can look at a ministry in your church or homeschool group where you can spread the “truth.” A wonderful verse for a woman with gift of prophecy is Ephesians 4:15, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” (NIV)

Service
Are you one of the ladies who identifies with Martha? Do you always “see” what needs to be done and want to make others comfortable? Do you find yourself drawn to Galatians 5:13, “…rather, serve one another in love.” If service is your Spiritual Gift, pray and ask God to reveal areas that you can serve others. Also ask Him to help you not to become frustrated as servers often do, ask Him rather to give you a servant’s heart like Christ.

Teaching
We are all called to be teachers. As homeschoolers, we’ve heard the call on our hearts. If the beginning of the New Year finds you weary in this endeavor, then pray that God gently guides your heart and renews your soul. If you are energized, pray unceasingly for that fire to never extinguish! Some of us have been given gifts of teaching that extend beyond our own children. If you feel that teaching is your gift, then pray for God to reveal ways in which you can begin to teach beyond your own children and bless those around you. 2 Timothy 2:5, “They can teach younger women to be wise and pure….” Perhaps there are gifts of teaching that you’ve left unopened, ask God to reveal those.

Exhorting
Are you the encourager? Are you the one always cheering others on to live the life of Christ? The encouragers are the ones that we look to for passionate enthusiasm when it comes to doing the Lord’s work. I have a dear friend who has opened her Spiritual Gift box of “encouraging and exhorting” and blesses those around her, spreading the “fire” within her to those she meets! It’s a joy to be around a woman who has the Spiritual Gift of exhortation and has discovered and opened it for the world to see. “But encourage one another daily….” Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

Giving
Givers are those who are so aware of the needs of everyone around them. They are sensitive and they delight in giving of themselves to others in the name of Christ. Givers are investors and they enjoy giving. They are the women who see the need and ACT on those needs accordingly. The giver is the woman who puts the note in the mail or arrives with a timely giftProverbs 3:27 guides her, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.”

Organizing
The woman blessed with the Spiritual Gift of organizing is efficient. She knows how to get the job done and always has a well thought out plan. If after praying about your gifts, you come to understand that organizing is your gift, and then ask God to reveal to you a worthwhile project that you can offer your services to, for His glory. There are BIG things to be done and it’s the organizer who can use her gifts to inspire those around her into action. 1 Corinthians 14:40 is a perfect verse for the organizer to cling to, “But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” (NIV)

Lastly, we’ll look at Mercy
Are you the one who wants to take away everyone’s pain? Are you the compassionate friend who follows her feelings rather than reason? Mercy girls, pray and ask God to reveal those around you who need a woman like you in their lives. Ask Him to show you where your gift of Mercy is needed. There are so many hurting people and God needs those blessed with the gift of Mercy to walk among us and show compassion when others may look away. 1 Peter 3:8 is a wonderful verse to meditate on if Mercy is your Spiritual Gift; “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”

Ancient Christians would often commit a year to focus on a particular discipline. The word discipline is rooted in the word askesis, which means practice. That is what we are called to do with our own spiritual gifts – put them into practice. A gift is of no value until it’s given away.

You will likely see yourself in more than one of these gifts. That’s how giving our God is! In the upcoming year, I encourage you to prayerfully search the gifts and choose one to focus on. Could there be a better way to celebrate a new year? Find out how God wants to use you to bless others and Him by putting your spiritual gift into practice.

Check out my article on page 20 of the new flipbook edition of Heart of the Matter Magazine.

Lori MacMath is a 5-year homeschool mom to three. Lori insists that when she was wrestling with the decision to homeschool, a gentle voice guided her with the words, “You know what you should do.” She never looked back, accepting the challenges and rewards, while constantly clinging to The Rock. Lori co-owns the Internet Cafe, a daily devotional site for Christian women and she can also be found at her personal blog, All You Have to Give.