Find Your Gifts

I think lifting people's spirits by smiling at them is one of Kayli's gifts.

"Tonight I urge you, with all the hope of my heart to pray to understand your spiritual gifts--to cultivate, use, and expand them, even more than you ever have.  You will change the world as you do so.

President Russell M. Nelson

One day I was feeling really down and I came to my room and grabbed 3 or 4 books off of my bookshelf in the hopes of finding inspiration on how to get out of my gloomy thoughts.  I feel like I must have been inspired, because I picked up one of those books, and turned to just the thing I needed!  I hadn't realized it, but I had been comparing myself, and how I do things, to how other people do the same kinds of things.  Naturally, in doing so, I found myself wanting.   

In the book Deliberate Motherhood I happened to turn to a section that talked about how every person is unique and has different gifts.  We should all use the gifts we have to help others.  We really can't successfully use a gift someone else has unless we are blessed with the same one.  That day I wanted to help someone, and felt frustrated because taking people food intimidates me, and I don't like to do it, and I am really good at talking myself out of it.  I can do it, and should maybe cultivate that gift, but I realized I was just deciding to take food because I thought of that as what we are "supposed" to do to help someone.  When I was reminded that I am unique, and have my own gifts, I decided to do something else.  I wrote an encouraging note instead, letting whoever it was (and I have no recollection of who) know that I care about them.

Recently, when I read President Nelson's talk I tried to write down which gifts I have so I can work on growing them, and practice using them more often to help people.  This can be very difficult for us women, who for some reason are often sure we don't have any gifts, which is a lie that Satan likes us to believe.  I read a different talk once that suggested we ask other people what gifts they believe we have.  Perhaps, when they tell us, we can see ourselves more clearly.  Everyone has at least one gift.  This scriptures say so.  We can all improve the gifts we have, and ask for more.  I think that is the kind of prayer that Heavenly Father likes to answer, especially if we are willing to use our gifts to bless others.