I love Facebook. I love getting Facebook messages. I love getting Facebook messages from the girls in my Sunday school class. I love getting Facebook messages from the PARENTS of the girls in my Sunday school class. I REALLY love it when those messages are encouraging, inspiring, and uplifting. And in some cases, revelationary.
Last Sunday, in my girls’ class, I taught a lesson called “Spiritual Diet” where I compared the protein, carbs and fats of our food diet to disciplines in our Christian walk. Protein builds muscle: that’s what studying scripture does. Carbohydrates provide energy: that’s what prayer does. Fat provides warmth and protection, and gives the body its unique shape: that’s what fellowship does. Vitamins & minerals are the “other things” needed for good health: That’s what other disciplines like worship, fasting, and being involved in ministry do. At that point, I got on the topic of “spiritual gifts”, one of my favorite topics to teach about.
I told the girls a story that illustrated how I once used one of my main gifts, discernment. I won’t go into the story, but it was a riveting one that happened to me while getting my hair permed. (Really, it was a fascinating incident! Stay tuned for my book to see it in its entirety. Or just beg me to tell it. I’ve told it several times to the girls, and they don’t seem to get tired of it. LOL!) The point of the story was that God will not only reveal your spiritual gifts, but He WILL give you opportunities to use them.
Later that day, I got a Facebook message from the mom of a girl in my class. I don’t have her permission to share the exact words, but the jist of it was this: My daughter was intrigued by your class and now she wants to learn more about spiritual gifts. What resources can you suggest?”
I was beyond excited. Not just because a mom had encouraging words for me, or because a girl in the class took home something meaningful from my lesson, but because this was confirmation to me on something I’ve been praying diligently about.
I’ve been praying for direction on a book to write. I want to write a book and do more speaking on a specific topic…the area of passion and purpose in life. It sounded so cool to me, but I know a lot of people still struggle with passion and purpose in life. When I got the Facebook message, it was like my own burning bush experience with God.
He clearly was giving me direction: Maureen, write a book FOR TEENS that teach them the link between passion, purpose and their spiritual gifts.
OK, it may not seem like a big deal to you, but it was to me! In fact, I immediately began to Google search all I could on the subject to see what resources for teens were out there.
Surprisingly little! There’s a lot for adults. There’s a a lot of spiritual gift inventories, even some for teens. But no books that go beyond the test. What ARE the gifts? How do they relate to passion? What is passion? What’s the purpose of passion? What’s the passion of a purpose? Where do spiritual gifts fit in? What about talents, interests, memories, education, preferences, opinions, choices, mistakes, regrets, successes…where do they fit in? How are they all linked?
OK, so the burning bush is still giving me a little bit of a fuzzy message. But the path is getting clearer for me. I want teens to be compelled by passion, and propelled by purpose. God’s purpose. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, gifted for ministry, and convinced beyond any doubt that what they are doing for God is exactly what God has crafted them to do.
Yeah, all that from a Facebook message.
Gosh, I love Facebook.
