Spiritual Gifts Assessment: Part 1

 All right here it is. The blog that I first mentioned nearly a week ago. This may even end up being a two part blog in order to keep it at some kind of reasonable length.

  Anyway, many of you may remember me at lunch or dinner talking about how much I don't care for personality tests. I took psychology last fall and there were a number of these survey tests that told you who you are. I generally think they are a bunch of hullabaloo just because of their format and inaccuracy prone tendencies. Well, despite not liking survey type tests I took a Spiritual Gifts test about a week and a half ago and was rather surprised with the results. I will list them here and talk a little about each one and how I think they apply to me. I was shocked at what I found. I would like to mention before I start that there were actually two different tests, one directed to adults, the other towards teens. I will start with the adult listed from highest to least highest. (http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/)

  1. Discernment – This was not surprising to me really at all. I have noticed this gift in my life as most prevalent over all others. More recently, I may have realized a specialized version of this gift in my life. It is something that I am currently looking into and praying about, but I think that I may have the ability to “judge” people before ever talking to them or knowing them. I don't know exactly how to explain this but I first became aware of this gift when I heard someone talking about the ability to see colors on other people. Actually, when I first heard about the color thing I sorta shrugged it off as weird and making really no sense. However, recently I was randomly thinking about it and started wondering if it wasn't weird at all. Further more I started to think I may have the same ability, though I wouldn't use the word color. I did some more research on the matter and found that the person who could see colors on people had a slightly different gift but still very similar. The best way I can describe it is that I can sometimes sense the good or bad on people. I can generally sense this either by seeing them or hearing them say just a few sentences. I have talked to people before and been around them and was just uncomfortable. I could tell there was something wrong about them or something not right.

  Another example of my discernment ability came to me when I was sitting in a “mega” church. My whole life I have grown up in a small church where I knew everyone by name. This has always been where I found God and where I was comfortable worshiping. I have never really thought bad about big churches but at the same time was never a fan. The first time I ever went to Central Wesleyan Church in Holland Michigan I was just amazed at is size and splendor. The second time I went I had a slightly different experience. I was sitting there in the pew not really thinking about the message that much when I had a feeling from God. There was a sense of peace around me. Then it was almost as if God was saying to me “Do you not see me here? Yes Zachary, this is not what you are used too and this is not what you prefer, but do you not see me? I am here. Feel my presence. I am here in this church working just as I am in your small church back home. There is nothing wrong with this large church as their focus is on me and I am with them.” Part of me felt guilty, but at the same time more just very content. I never doubted that God could use and was in big churches. But this was a really neat experience, especially since this was my girlfriends church! Big churches have their place in the world. They have resources and abilities that small churches will never have. I believe each are important and play their role in the kingdom of God.

  2. Pastoring – This one came as kind of a surprise, but not in the way you might think. This has been something that I have juggled in my mind ever since I was 12 years old. Of course, most of me wants to believe that what I thought when I was 12 was weak and immature. However, the idea of being a spiritual leader has never really left me. This is something that I am almost certain is not something that I am supposed to explore yet. Especially since I have been trying to take intro to youth ministries ever since I was a freshman and haven't been able to fit it into my class schedule. I've never really considered becoming an actual pastor. My heart has always been more for teenagers. However, after having been in a small group of young adults this summer, my passion may be changing slightly. I still love the idea of being able to help and guide teens, but leading a group of young adults is becoming very appealing to me. However, I still don't think it is my time yet to be involved in these areas. I do feel that God wants me to do something with this eventually, but not now, and I am okay with that. I also think that to do many of the things that I'd want to do, I may need to get married first – and marriage is not really on my horizon right now either.

   2. (There was a tie) Faith – This was definitely the most surprising to me of all the answers. Faith? First of all, I have never thought of myself as a person with great faith. Second, I thought that faith was essential to Christianity. I didn't realize that there was a spiritual gift of faith until this test. Hebrews 11 is a cool chapter about faith if anyone is interested. According to the website that I took the test at they defined the spiritual gift of faith as: “The special conviction God gives to some to be firmly persuaded of God's power and promises to accomplish His will and purpose and to display such a confidence in Him and His Word that circumstances and obstacles do not shake that conviction.” I like this definition and can see how this is prevalent in my life. I was surprised to see how accurately the gift of faith fits into my life and who I see myself as. I also know that this is the gift that will take the most work for me to maintain and use. I can see that I can be a person of faith, but I can also see how easy it would be to waste this gift. This is a really cool discovery for me and definitely something I will be looking into more with great interest.

  3. Poverty – Okay, I know I said faith was the most surprising find of my gifts, but this was definitely the most scary. When I first read this I thought “OH NO! God, I don't want this gift. I don't want to live in poverty and be poor my whole life, please tell me it isn't so!” However, as I read the description of it more I was calmed and satisfied. The spiritual gift of poverty can mean that you are called to live among people. It may mean that you have the means necessary to live higher, but choose to live lower in order to better relate to people. I love this idea. I do not need to be elaborate and extravagant. A simple content life would be great to me. Granted, I do want a house big enough that I can have people over, I think this goes along with gift number 2 just fine. Acts 4:32-35 is a great way to look at it for those curious.

  Well guys, there you have it. The beginning of my own personal spiritual gifts assessment. I don't want this to get too long by itself, and it is getting late – I have to work every day this week until Sunday. I generally have Wednesdays off but I told a friend I would do him a favor and come in for him. I will pick up where I left off soon enough. I hope you have enjoyed learning more about me as I learn more about myself. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Your friend, brother, and companion in Christ,

-Zachary Haas