My grandmother used to have a kitschy piece of artwork hanging on her kitchen wall that said, “I know I’m somebody, ‘cause God don’t make no junk!” I remember my early childhood brain being thoroughly confused by that strange wall hanging. God making junk? What? As I’ve gotten older, of course, now I understand. My grandmother had been through some hard times in her life, and that colloquial saying gave her a boost of confidence and a reminder of her worth in God’s eyes. Every morning as she ate breakfast, she was reminded that God created her for a reason, and that she mattered.
Have you ever wondered why God created you? In Psalm 139, we are reminded that God has fearfully and wonderfully made each one of us. God is the one who knit each of us together in our mother’s womb. You were intentionally made on purpose, for a purpose.
In fact, scripture says that each one of us is given a set of spiritual gifts to be used for the benefit of humankind and all of creation. God made you for a reason, and the Holy Spirit dwells in you, so that your gifts might be used to serve others.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. – 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
Do you ever wonder what spiritual gifts God has given to you?
This year, as part of the Year of Send initiative, we have made the ELCA Spiritual Gifts Assessment accessible from the Shepherd of the Valley website. To discover your spiritual gifts, find out what they mean and how to use them, go to “The Year of Send” on our website. Once you complete the spiritual gifts assessment on our website, we will help you get connected throughout the year with service opportunities that use your own unique spiritual gifts.
If you’d like to go deeper, join me on Mondays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. for FaithConnect, our newest adult education option (see p. 10 in the September newsletter) as we explore the topic “God’s Purpose, My Purpose.”
God has created each of us with a distinct set of skills, passions, talents, abilities, and gifts. I encourage you to discover and explore your own spiritual gifts. They have been given to you by the Holy Spirit, so that you might use them to love and serve others.
Pastor Wendy (2017)
