Over the last couple weeks, we’ve looked at some real-life examples of creative ways people are sharing the gifts that God has given them with the world. (See part 1 here and part 2 here.) Today, we’ll learn about a few more! Let these examples serve as a starting point to help the women you lead discover creative ways to reach the people around them using the gifts and talents the Lord has given them!
The Gift of Bible Teaching
During a recent visit to the doctor’s office, I glanced at the calendar and said to the nurse, “That’s the wrong date on your calendar. I only know because today is my 35th wedding anniversary.”
“Wow,” she replied. “How have you stayed married that long?” I replied with a grin, “I’m sure it’s because we have worked hard at it and had lots of help from Christian friends, family, and the church.”
The nurse shared that she was a new Christian, and I enthusiastically asked for the details. A doctor had begun teaching a Bible class at noon on Thursdays to anyone on the staff who wanted to come. Not only did this nurse attend his class, but she asked Christ into her heart because of it. She went on to tell me that before the Bible study was over, 19 people in that hospital had accepted Christ. Because one part of the body exercised his spiritual gift of teaching, the kingdom of Christ grew.
The Gift of Witnessing
I have a dear and quite remarkable friend who has a talent for quilting. Her home is like a museum; her quilts enhance the warmth of her house. She also has the gift of evangelism. While living in Utah, she invited her Christian friends for coffee one day. She showed them the quilts she had designed based on hymns that told the story of her spiritual journey with Christ. Prior to her friends leaving, she told them, “I want you to pray for me next Friday because I am inviting my Mormon neighbors to my house, and I’m going to share my testimony with them. I was just practicing on you.” She used her quilting gift and her own faith story to invest in growing God’s kingdom.
The Gift of Sharing a Talent
My friend was a career model before she married and had a family. As her daughter entered the teen years, she and her daughter planned a sleep over. They sent invitations to the daughter’s school and church friends, baked the refreshments, and prepared for guests. The mother gathered makeup, mirrors, and accessories.
The girls had a wonderful evening of fun, learning how to present themselves in the best possible way. They learned how to take care of their bodies, and my friend also shared about inner beauty and God’s desire for our hearts to belong to Him. What a gift from mother to daughter. She gave them the gift of her time and experience, investing in their lives for the sake of the kingdom.
The Gift of Being Part of the Family of God
I got on the motorized cart in the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to go from one side of the airport to the other. A priest got on at the next stop. Looking at me, he asked, “Is Dallas your home?” “No,” I responded, thinking I would tell him where I lived. Before I could complete my sentence, he said, “It’s not mine, either. Mine is Cloud 22.” I then replied, “If yours is 22, then mine is 23.” He reached out, gave me a high five, and said, “Then praise God! You must know Jesus.” There we were, total strangers until that exchange of information, now celebrating the gift of the family of God while tooling through the Dallas airport in a motorized cart! Everyone on the cart heard our testimony.
This article is adapted from a chapter written by Esther Burroughs and found in Women Reaching Women: Beginning and Building a Growing Women’s Ministry compiled by Chris Adams.