Spiritual Gifts Inventory...Bah Humbug

The other day, when I was visiting my friend Lee, we got to talking about spiritual gifts. She had a spiritual gifts survery handy (she's a minister's wife, she's got all kinds of resources), and she asked me to take it when I got home. I did, and I've been thinking about it for the last few days, and discussing it with Lee, my parents, and my boyfriend.

The result of the survey said that my top gifts are Teaching, Knowledge, and Administration. Administration seemed kind of random, but I guess since I've never really been placed in an administrative position, there's no way for me to know whether I'd do well at it or not. Other than that, the results aren't anything I hadn't been expecting. But you know, I don't really think that a "spiritual gifts inventory" is really the best way to figure out where I should be serving.

I don't mean to be overly cynical, but who decided that we all needed to "discover our spiritual gift" anyway? I mean, when Paul talks about spiritual gifts in the New Testament, I don't think he's saying that we need to go on some sort of inward quest for spiritual enlightenment, in order to discover our purpose in life. Instead, he is trying to keep Christians from judging each other and competing with each other because of the different ministries they are focused on. He's reminding the people that, if church member Joe is not as focused on evangelism as church member Sam, it could be because he has the gift of administration instead. Sam shouldn't think less of Joe and abuse him just because he doesn't spend as much time visiting people at their homes and handing out pies; he's updating the church's member database instead. Paul's point is that different people are gifted for different aspects of ministry, and we need all those gifts to keep the Church running smoothly.

So this whole "spiritual gift quest" doesn't seem Biblical to me. It seems like a reflection of a more modern, secular idea...this whole thing about "find your inner voice" or "discover the truth within," and that sort of mumbo-jumbo. And the "inventory" seems more like a personality test than a true evaluation of how the Holy Spirit has gifted you. Spiritual gifts aren't the same as personality traits! They may be related, of course, but a personality test, even a super-spiritual one, is really not going to tell you a whole lot that you didn't already know.

I think that the best way to approach spiritual gifts is to try different areas of service. If you gravitate toward one area, and seem to get good results and good feedback from the people you're serving, then that's a good indication that it's one of your spiritual gifts. You can then thank God for His provision, while keeping in mind that it doesn't mean you're "off the hook" for any other type of service. I may not have the same gift for evangelism that my friend Matt has, but that doesn't mean that I don't need to tell people about Jesus. I may not have the same gift of mercy that my friend Karen has (see previous post on the subject), but that doesn't mean that I don't need to work on developing compassion for people. At the same time, if you don't seem to gravitate toward any one area, and can't figure out what your gift is, don't sweat it. You don't need to label yourself to serve God effectively. Just love God and serve Him, and He'll show you opportunities to use whatever it is you're good at to serve His kingdom.

Does that make sense? Maybe it's not even that important of an issue; I just don't like to see people stressing over this spiritual gift question, and feeling like there's something wrong with them if they can't "find their gift." I've been there in past days, and I know how stressful that feeling can be. Following the narrow path is a difficult enough task without adding unnecessary burdens!