Home » Ministries » Youth Ministry » Fuel Magazine » All Issues » Fuel Christmas 2005 » Kathryn Grant and Jo Ryan: What do we do with our Gifts?

What do we do with our gifts?

We’ve all got gifts and talents, but they’re no use to anyone if we don’t grow and share them. We’ve been given our gifts so that we can use them to worship God and serve others – so how do we get started, and how can we encourage young people to do the same?

Start small

  • Sometimes you just don’t know where or how to start! Focussing on one thing at a time will make the challenge manageable. Start by picking just one gift that you’d like to “give away”, and find just one way to you can do that. So if your gift is sports, you might choose to coach one school sports team, building relationships through sport.

Safe places to share

  • Jumping in the deep end is always daunting! If you think you have a gift for preaching, you don’t have to go on the international circuit straight away. Instead, start by doing a devotion at youth group, then speaking in a youth service, then at your church service, then at a regional Easter Camp, etc…
  • Intentionally create safe spaces for young people in your church and community to try out using their gifts so they can make mistakes and try again with encouragement and support from friendly mentors.

Do it together

  • Journeying with others as you share your gifts is always a fun way to get started. Working on a group project is a great way for people with different gifts to work together to create something awesome.

Ask questions

  • Remember to ask yourself regularly: ‘Am I using my gifts to serve God and others? Or am I using them for myself?’

Learn, learn, learn!

  • Make sure you keep developing and growing the gifts you have. Often using and sharing them is the best way to do this, but sometimes it’s also helpful to read relevant books, attend workshops or talk with someone you admire in that area.

Get stuck in!

  • When it comes down to it, sometimes “the best advice is to get stuck in!” (thanks Ricky D, minister at student.soul) Heck, we’ll only be around here for one lifetime, so why not give as much as we can! Get started, and you’ll find that it’s not as hard as you first thought.