Denyse and I were always singing as we grew up. I can't tell you how many times Crazy Rathma has asked us to 'sing for me, honey.' (You know, in the church fellowship hall in front of random people after our Poppi's funeral). So, 'I'll Fly Away' (as did our embarrassment after we started singing) we sang to Granny's delight...
Music moves me. It speaks deep into my inner self. Singing is one of my most important spiritual connections to The Lord. I've sung at church for years. Inconsistently since I've had an entire litter of Keffer offspring.
So, this weekend I officially start back feeding MY spiritual soul singing on vocal team at church.
Hooray! Right?!?
Ummm...
Honestly, it comes with so much scheduling, arranging, practicing, logistics of just getting there that it makes me feel old. And whiny. AND STRESSED OUT.
SLAP. <----- that's Jesus.
He spoke directly to my human, flawed, judgemental face on Tuesday evening after rehearsal.
Singing is a spiritual gift. It is to honor Him. Worship Him. It helps feed my soul to form a deeper & closer connection to Him.
It's actually a passion of mine.
He leads me to this verse:
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16 NIV)
We who are in Christ have a responsibity to serve. And finding your spiritual gift helps you figure out where you 'belong in ministry'.
I learned at a VERY young age that I loved to sing. But it took a long time to realize that it was a specific gift given to minister to others and share His love.
Now, let's also get it straight that I am by no means Aretha Franklin nor am I any where close to Beyoncé in vocal talent. (Dance moves, maybe). Whatever.
Spiritual gifts are given to those in Christ to encourage, help, minister, & love others.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4, 6, 7 NIV)
It is important to find your passion in ministry. The Lord has specifically given you, YES...YOU, a gift that is especially intended to further His Kingdom. YOU have a gift that He wants you to use for His good.
Working with children?
Singing?
Greeting?
Praying?
Organizing closets in the church warehouse?
Cleaning toilets in the youth room?( that is a gift bc teens are stinky)
You can be a blessing to others no matter where you are in your relationship with The Lord. He will meet you in the middle...wherever you are...He will guide you and plop you right where you belong!
So...what if you don't know what your spiritual gift is? Or what if you know but you are utterly and completely terrified to use it? My spiritual gift is the same as my sister's, yet my experience with this gift is completely different. To make a very long story short...years ago I used my gift of music through both church and secular opportunities. It was a path I considered taking as my profession. I didn't, for several reasons. Along with that dream, my love of serving God through my gift died away.
Fast forward twenty years. Yes, I said twenty years. I didn't sing much more than the Good Morning song to kindergarteners and Itsy Bitsy Spider to my own two little ones for TWENTY years. (And those times that Rathma forced me to.)
God had been gently pushing me toward my return to church. Not just a go to church kind of thing, but a be the church kind of thing. He not so subtly shoved me into newhope church's Garner campus on it's opening day in 2010. I cried every Sunday for a year knowing that His presence was so thick in that place that I couldn't brush it off of me when I left each week even if I had tried. When the first plea came for serving in this budding campus I opted for the children's ministry. I knew how to do that. And I did, but without complete fulfillment. But that was ok, I was helping and I was happy to be helpful.
For one whole year I sat in service each Sunday trying to sort through what God was trying to tell me. About lots of things in my life really, but specifically about serving. I LOVED the worship music! It was loud! It was fun! And best of all, it was not a four part hymn sung in a dragged out 4/4 time, heavy on the Southern drawl! I wanted to sing those new songs all week!
This went on and on within me until the following summer. I went home to Virginia to visit my family and attended my family's church like I often did. Soon after I arrived my sister said, "Hey, I'm singing this Sunday. I know it cuts our time a little short but I've had to say no the last couple of times they've asked me." I didn't mind. I liked her church.
Sitting in my seat that Sunday, watching and worshiping with my sister, God said to me, "NOW! YOU GO DO THIS!"
Petrified, a few weeks later I talked to our worship arts pastor. We arranged an audition. It was scary and my rustiness was apparent. But I had no doubt that I would be invited to be a part of the worship arts team, not because I was anything amazing, but because this was what God had told me to do. I listened. Good things happen when I listen.
Two years later, I am still using my gift of music to serve God through my church. I never grow tired of serving. My body may grow tired...because it's a long day with three worship services each time I do serve...and it seems that somehow I am now twenty years older. But I never tire of the actual serving part.
Serving feeds my soul because I use the gift that God gave me.
If you feel like you haven't found your gift...just listen. Pray about it. Talk to people you know about how they found their gifts and listen to the advice they have. Think about your passion. What do you love? Maybe not focus quite so much on what you are good at...although that can certainly be beneficial if your gift does happen to be singing! ;)
If you know your gift but have been a little afraid to use it...please allow me to encourage you to give it a try! You know if God is speaking to you. Listen to what He is saying and listen to his direction. He is always right!
Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
And I will say this as well...if you are not so sure that your relationship with the Lord is exactly where you want it to be just yet...(Is anyone's?? Mine's not!) there is a very good chance that by jumping in and using your spiritual gift to serve Him...that you will actually become that much closer in the meantime.
God gave us gifts for a reason. His plan is oh so perfect and I promise you...someone out there needs for you to use your gift! It just may be that using your gift will help them find theirs!
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