I am writing this from the comfort of my couch with my left foot elevated as I recover from minor foot surgery. My one-week post op visit went great; I am well on my way to being able to return to “normal” activity. To say I can’t wait is an understatement. I am not great at accepting help. I always feel guilty. I always try to do something (even when I’m not supposed to), so I don’t have to ask for help. I don’t really like being dependent on others.
Looking back over the last week, however, I learned something. Even though I don’t love needing help, there are those who are gifted by God to help others. In that service, they find joy, fulfilment, and the opportunity to live as God equipped them.
I was blessed to have an amazing medical team the day of my surgery. The nurse who escorted me back, settled me in, and put in the IV (of which I am terrified!) was kind, warm, and reassuring. We chatted and learned her husband is an alumnus of my daughter’s college. The anesthesiologist was lighthearted and informative with the temperament of a favorite uncle. The nurse anesthetist, who stayed with me during the procedure, was confident, calming, and relaxed. All of which relaxed me.
The OR nurse was full of life, laughing and creating a light environment as we got ready for the procedure. In recovery, another sweet face welcomed me back to the land of the awake and made my day with some water and cranberry juice. She prepared me to head home and gave me a wheelchair ride to my car. Every one of these individuals played a key role in my successful surgery. And each one did so effortlessly. At least it appeared that way to me.
You know, almost immediately, when you enter a space whether the people there are happy to be there or just biding time. It’s referred to as the “corporate culture.” The surgery center was filled with a sense of purpose. A sense of love. A sense of serving. And every patient who passes through those doors is touched. Whether they recognize it or not.
When we are functioning in the gifts given to us by Holy Spirit, we are the best version of ourselves. Because we are the true version of ourselves.
A dear friend recently recommended a book, “Know Your Ministry” by Marilyn Hickey and Sarah Bowling. I knew about spiritual gifts – I taught courses on the subject. Spiritual Gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-12. I had not previously heard of foundational or motivational gifts. These are listed in Romans 12:4-8. These gifts correspond to people’s underlying inclinations and preferences, as well as their special abilities for serving the body of Christ and others.
Think of your foundational gifts as those things that come naturally to you. The things that when you do them, they bring you joy and they bless others. It is often spoken of as “sharing your talents.” But these talents are not something we created. They are bestowed upon us by our Father in Heaven to be used to bless His ministry. When we are operating in our areas of gifting, we feel fulfilled, whole…natural.
I have always been a very organized, process-oriented person. Nothing trips my trigger like a stroll through the office supplies store or the Container Store in search of this or that to help organize my life and my spaces. I have also naturally fallen into positions of teaching/leading. I have a desire and ability to motivate others. When I walk in these circles of activity, I am energized, uplifted, full.
Turns out the reason for that is that I am operating in the very motivational gifts bestowed upon me by my Father in Heaven. Taking the test in the book, my gifts are Exhortation, Organization, and Teaching. No wonder all my life I am most comfortable when I living in those giftings. And no wonder that my service to Christ often takes these forms. If I were to be asked to volunteer with the church finances, not only would I be unhappy, but the church might be in trouble. But ask me to organize an event or teach a class, and the Lord can work miracles through a willing servant.
The men and women who took care of me each had their own motivational gifts that led them to the careers they chose. Careers that serve and show mercy to others who come into their world often uncertain, scared, and worried. By simply listening to the inner calling on their lives, they carry and share the power of Jesus blessing those around them.
I don’t know if the men and women at the surgery center are Christians. I don’t know if they realize that they each have a calling on their life that was preordained by the Lord. But I do. And I was blessed. Over and over.
The Bible tells us in Romans 12:4-5, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” God has created us to live in service to one another, each carrying his/her own load, contributing his/her own talents to the Kingdom of God.
Motivational gifts are present across careers or lifestyles. Whether a parent, volunteer, hairstylist, retail employee, office worker, construction worker…you have motivational gifts that fuel how you do what you do.
If you think you must be everything to everybody, you do not. You are not designed for that. If you think something isn’t your strong suit – maybe it isn’t. Maybe that job is for someone else in the Kingdom of God. God has equipped each of us with a purpose and a desire. Understanding your purpose and motivational gifts can free you to make a difference in the most powerful ways. The ways given to you by your Father in Heaven.
If you’d like to learn more about the seven motivational gifts, I encourage you to read Know Your Ministry and take the gifts assessment. Then sit back, relax, and learn how you can embrace the purpose God has placed on your life.