Our youth are gifted. They really are.
The problem is, many don't know it. Or believe it.
Sure, there are a few in every group. But even the most
confident and self-assured of students aren’t convinced they know how or why they are gifted.
But this isn't crazy.
Many of us adults, if pressed, aren’t in touch with our
strengths either. We regularly make weighty decisions flippantly, failing
to consider the orientation of our own gifting. We commit our time and treasure
without feeling confirmed that we are in optimal, God-directed roles. We may
have a general belief that God made us each unique, in His image. But we
often fail to consider our distinct wiring as a valuable input source of our
decision-making. And when we don’t, we are in danger of squandering God's
goods.
Jesus emphasizes this principle well in the Parable of the
Talents (Mathew 25).
You should read it for yourself and let God speak in it. But
for now, I'll give you the JP synopsis:
A particular master of an estate
stuffed his duffle bag in preparation for a long trip. But before taking
off down the road, he gathered his servants and trusted them with varying
amounts of money. One got a '5-spot'. Another got 2. And the
third dude just got 1.
The master took off. Once he
was gone, the ‘fella’ with the 5, invested it and doubled his money. The
servant with 2, went to work and earned 2 more. But the third guy just
hid his '1' out of fear that it would be lost.
When the master returns from the
trip, he is proud of two servants that grew their money, but he was super
confused by the one that hid his money. "What were
you thinking?" He explained that the money should have been
invested, someway or somehow. "To those who use well what they are
given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those
who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken
away."
If we agree that each of us is born with strengths, then it is
our duty to further develop our abilities and use them in ways that honor God.
In fact, exercising our giftedness is a primary way that we reflect the
image of God.
In working with emerging student leaders, we want them to know
that they posses gifts from God. In The Come Up Leadership Development Internship at UrbanLife, we
do this very early in the process. Here’s how:
1. We
administer assessment tools and ask them if the results support what they are
seeing in themselves. Just last month, we dedicated a retreat weekend to
this discernment and self-reflective process.
2. We
put students in positions to “try on” their emerging strengths. We task
some with functions of hospitality at gatherings. Other students are
given more executive responsibilities in pulling off
events. Everyone has a portion of tasks that are just plain
‘elbow-grease' work as to approximate the varied demands of authentic
employment placements.
3. Together
and regularly, we reflect on our experiences. We answer questions
that seem basic, like “Did you enjoy that task? Was it easy for
you? At what point of the evening were you most energized?”
And we affirm the effectiveness and passion we see in one another while at
work- called “Big Ups."
In the end, we want students to know how intimately and intricately God made them. We also
want them to know why God gave
them unique and potent gifts. The answer? To use those gifts in
bringing about the Kingdom of God here and now.
Accessing our giftedness can be hard work. Just like our
students, it requires being regularly introspective. It means listening
well to the affirmations of those who know us best. It demands bravery
in trying tasks that feel foreign at first. And it requires
intentionality in scheduling our time to be in places where we are serving God
in the unique ways he has prepared us to do so.
With this new filter, I challenge you to look again at the New
Year's resolutions that you just made. Go ahead, revise, slash and
add if you need to. It will be freeing!
May we all realize that we are trusted with gifts.
May we leverage our strengths to love others well. And may we hear
from our master, upon his return, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
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