Providing words of encouragement, building pews, playing chords, writing poems, coordinating meetings, teaching information. These actions may all sound mundane and unrelated. However, they all fall into one category: they are the result of a charism.  A charism is a personal gift given to a Christian through the Holy Spirit, aiding his or her service to the Lord and our world.

Every Christian receives a charism. In 1 Peter 4:10, Paul relates, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” When members of the body of Christ come together and engage their diverse personal gifts of the Spirit, they can unite the community and help it to flourish as each person gives of themselves in a way they feel passionately about. Kathleen A. Cahalan, in her book Introducing the Practice of Ministry, teaches about how these gifts are to be “embodied actions, lived out and expressed in word and deed” (4). She describes the way each person is a uniquely gifted by the Spirit.

So consider: “What is my spiritual gift?” To answer, you need tools to self-asses and determine where your talents and your passions come together. There are all kinds of resources for determining spiritual gifts. I better realized my gifts when I closely looked at my desires, my talents and my opportunities. I reflected on these alongside my fellow members of the body of Christ, who helped confirm my charisms. Reflecting on my Spirit-gifted charisms has ignited in me an excitement and passion for giving back to the church as I pursue my call to ministry.