Spiritual gifts

Well, the top 3 gifts told me by this survey were Craftsmanship, Music, and Hospitality. I agree with that. I didn't know that craftsmanship & music were spiritual gifts, but hey, i'm not complaining. :D Next is exhortation and discernment, which i also find fitting.

Craftsmanship fits me perfectly. Name something, and there's a good chance i can draw it. Not to boast or anything, but God has gifted me artistically, and i absolutely love using that gift. There have been a couple times when the Lord has given me a picture to draw, and i drew it, and people would just stare at the picture and soak, so to speak. That's so exciting to me, that God would communicate nonverbally through my work. It's the reason i'm here at JBU, to develop this gift so He can use it to an even greater extent.

I also really like music. If you know me pretty well, you'll know that's an understatement. I have a song quote for almost anything you'll say ("for anything you'll say, now"-- anything you say, by Deas Vail. haha). I didn't fully realize, or even take time to think about, the ministry potential with music til i got here, and a great majority of my friends are majoring in it... Mainly i love music because it's fun and beautiful and glorifying to God; i'd love to learn more of it, and get better, and be in the chapel band, or something like that.

Hospitality fits with my family very well. We love people and loving on people. I'm not sure how well it fits me personally, because, obviously, i've never had a house of my own, and i'm always doing homework in my (messy and maybe uninviting :/ ) dorm room. So i might have to work on that gift a little bit. :) but i do love people. Peoplepeoplepeople.

I usually don't think that exhortation and discernment fit me, but the more i think about it, the more examples i can find of those two in my life. I'm always one of the silly cheerleaders in a sporting event: "go team! you guys are awesome! get iiit!" ....things like that. My mom and others have mentioned that they saw me having discernment; I can usually see root causes of things like behaviors, and i try to think of people as more than what they are on the surface. Example: bookstore lady today. I had the wrong textbook and was almost too late to do anything about it, and she was annoyed from working conditions and probably a few disrespectful students; i did my best to treat her as respectfully and good-naturedly as possible, and she eventually lightened up and acted much more like the grandmother that i'm sure she is.

I love connecting with people like that, seeing more of who they really are inside. It's something i still struggle with-- not to judge by appearances, but to look at every person with the knowledge that they're probably awesome inside, because God made them and loves them.

song that's been in my head this whole time: World news by Local Natives. :)