The Uniquely Me Book (Paperback)

You'll notice that when we talked about the spiritual gifts, we placed them into three groups:

Speaking Gifts

Serving Gifts

Gifts that Involve both Speaking and Serving

Before we talk in other chapters about exactly which gifts you have, let's find out which of the three groups your gifts fall into. You may find out that you have gifts in two or even all three of the categories-or you may see that all your gifts seem to cluster in one area. Just remember that whatever you discover, that's the way God wanted it when he created you. Finding your gifts will be like hearing God whisper one of his "you-secrets" right in your ear.

Each statement below has three possible endings. Put a check or a star next to every ending that is true for you. That means, in some cases, you might check more than one ending. Be really honest-don't check anything just because you think it's what you "should" do. (There are no "shoulds" in this quiz!)

If there is a group project to do, I like to

a. _____ show other people how to do it.

b. _____ get in there and actually do the work.

c. _____ organize the whole thing.

If a room needs to be cleaned after the group project is done, I would

a. _____ say how it ought to be done.

b. _____ get a broom and start sweeping.

c. _____ figure out who could do what part of the cleanup.

If a friend or brother or sister has a problem, I

a. _____ give advice.

b. _____ do something to make the situation better.

c. _____ go through the solution step-by-step.

If there's an argument among my friends (or a heated discussion!), I want to

a. _____ give my opinion.

b. _____ do something to stop it.

c. _____ help everybody see how it could be resolved.

I think I can help my friends when

a. ____ they're confused about God things. b. ____ they're sad. c. ____ they have trouble getting along with people. Often I a. ____ read a good book. b. ____ make something with my hands.

c. ____ make lists of all the cool things I want to do. When I'm upset I a. ____ keep other people from seeing how I feel. b. ____ show my feelings to other people. c. ____ figure out who I should show my feelings to before I do it. If my friends and I were going to put on a play, I would want to a. ____ act in it. b. ____ do the behind-the-scenes stuff (like costumes and makeup and scenery). c. ____ come up with the ideas and direct it. When it comes to making decisions, I a. ____ make them very quickly and easily. b. ____ have a hard time deciding what to do. c. ____ do a lot of thinking before I decide, but when I do, it's easy. I like to work with a. ____ myself. b. ____ one person at a time. c. ____ a whole group of people. Count the number of a's, b's, and c's you checked and write the totals here: a's ____ b's ____ c's ____ Before we talk about what those numbers mean, remember this: No group of gifts is better or more important than any other group. The "body of Christ" needs toes as much as it needs lungs!

You might have a two-way or even a three-way tie, or high numbers in more than one group. That just means you have gifts in more than one area-so read all the ones that are about you.

If you scored five or more in the "a" group, you have some Speaking Gifts. That means that you have a gift for using the spoken word to teach people how to do things or understand hard stuff, to encourage people when they're bummed out or not sure of themselves, and to help people see what's right and what's wrong. You have no trouble saying what's on your mind. You're probably okay with speaking in front of a group of people, once you get over a small case of the jitters. And when people need somebody to talk to, you're one of the first people they'll turn to. Those are all gifts you can use to help keep the body of Christ on the right track.

If you scored five or more in the "b" group, you have some Serving Gifts. That means you would rather do than talk, work behind the scenes than be in the spotlight, show it than say it. You may have a gift for carrying out instructions, being generous, or knowing what other people need. You get a kick out of doing things to surprise or help people. You like to be the helper. And it's a pretty sure thing that you're already doing what needs to be done to solve a problem before most people even know there's a problem! Those are all gifts you can use to help keep the body of Christ running smoothly.

If you scored five or more in the "c" group, you have some Gifts that Involve Both Speaking and Serving. That means you are a natural leader or that you are good at planning and making sure the plans are carried out. You can get other people to do things without thinking you're too bossy. You not only have great ideas but you get things done. And there's no doubt that you know how to bring people together and get them working as a team. Those are all gifts you can use to help keep the body of Christ growing.

NOTE: Even though the chapters in this book are divided into the three kinds of gifts, read all of them, even if you think you have no gifts in a certain area. It's a good thing to understand all the gifts, just as it's important to understand your whole body.

GIRLZ Want to Know

* ZOOEY: I like this whole spiritual gifts thing. I just found out I'm a server, like, in a big way! But, see, I don't go to church. Do I still have gifts then? Can I still use them?

You definitely still have your gifts, Zooey. They came with you, just like your gray eyes and great smile. And in some ways you can use them even if you don't belong to a church. As a server, you can be generous and compassionate with your own friends and family and do all kinds of wonderful things for them. But the best thing you can do for them is help them get closer to God, and before you can do that, you need to be close to God-and the place to learn to do that is in a church, which is just a Christian community. If your family doesn't want to go to a church, ask your friends who do belong to one if you can go with them. Then pray that the enthusiasm and the love and all the other good stuff you bring home with you will inspire the rest of your family to go with you. That's the best service of all!

* LILY: I love my gifts! I tied three ways, and I am so ready to go right to work in my church. But I know my mom and dad are going to say, "Slow down, Lily. You can't run the place yet!" How can I use my gifts if people think I'm just a kid?

Kids are way important to the life of a church. People don't just wake up one day as adults and say, "Okay. Time to use my gifts. I'm a grown-up now." The kid years are really important for learning how to use those gifts-and you don't just learn by sitting around watching everybody else. You learn by doing. Look for the opportunities to do that are appropriate for your age group.

Since you have speaking gifts, can you volunteer to read out loud in your Sunday school class? Ask for parts in pageants and puppet shows that require learning a lot of lines? Look for chances to read to the preschoolers or help with Vacation Bible School? When it comes to your serving gifts, you can really go for it when the Sunday school has a food drive, or you can be the first one on the bus when your class takes cookies to a nursing home. As for your speaking and serving gifts, think of some projects you would like to see the kids your age in the church do (like write letters to some of those folks you met at the nursing home), and present them to your teacher.

No, you won't be directing the entire choir or organizing a church supper for four hundred people, but what you can do is just as important-and there will be plenty of time for those four hundred-plate dinners later!

* SUZY: I have a lot of serving gifts-at least, that's what the quiz said-but I'm way too shy to ever really do any of those things in my church. Do you think God is disappointed in me?

God definitely understands where you're coming from. If you'll recall, he actually picked out shy people to do some mighty big jobs-like Moses, for example. Whatever gifts God has given you, he has also given you what it takes to use them. It may not feel like you can raise your hand and volunteer to take up the collection on Youth Sunday, but you can. It just takes a little praying and a lot of believing that God is right there beside you, giving you little tricks to help you along - things like, "What is the worst that can happen, Suzy? Dropping the collection plate? So what! You just pick it up and keep going! You'll be embarrassed? Oh, maybe for a few minutes, but both you and everybody else will forget before you know it. Just do it, Suzy -you're going to love it when you do."

(Continues...)