I am an extrovert, this is definitely one of my core traits. I have been trying over the years to learn not to be offensive to my introverted friends and family. I have been learning not to be too loud or make a scene in public by laughing at inappropriate times. One thing I can’t seem to get on board with is the world’s idea that people shouldn’t talk to strangers. You guys, I admit it. I go to Walmart, the gas station, or basically anywhere and I often come out knowing a new person by name. And, for some reason people occasionally trust me with their life stories. No joke, it’s like the Gift of Gab meets the Gift of Being a Good Listener. Or maybe people can sense that I just really care about and love people.
I spent years as a “pastor's wife” in rural churches where those gifts were utilized daily. I got to love on people every time the church doors were open and I called people throughout the week. Our roles have changed in the past four years. Paul is no longer serving in the role of pastor. So, I’ve been trying to figure out where I can serve and use my Gifts of Gab and Caring.
At church, we have a Hospitality Team under the leadership of a woman that I greatly admire. She is an industrious woman who accomplishes more before 6am than most people do by noon. Seriously, I want to be her when I grow up. But, I digress.
On the hospitality team I get to serve as a greeter. My job description now includes the idea of being a social butterfly and talking to people before the service begins. What? They have a volunteer position where I get to talk to people? Sweet.
It’s been such a great outlet for me to use the Gift of Gab without appearing too socially unaware. So, armed and branded with a nametag and a church logo mask, I flit throughout the worship center and chat with people as they come in.
I have introverts in my family that hear what I do at church and they groan. “Oh gosh, Mom, what a terrible job, I could never do that.” But, I have been learning over the years that when someone says to me “I could never do that,” it may be one of my spiritual gifts or talents.
Some of my God-given gifts and talents (beyond being a greeter) are that I am comfortable with: opening my home to guests, leading a choir, singing in front of a crowd, leading worship from the front, playing my flute in front of a crowd, playing accompaniment for the singing, visiting nursing homes, praying for friends and strangers, laying hands on the sick and praying boldly for healing, walking up to a stranger at a gas station and telling them that I think God has a message for them, and more.
Now, that last one I mentioned… you guys, don’t glamourize that gift or despise that gift. My charismatic friends tend to glamourize/romanticize this and my Reformed friends are more likely to discredit me for this. But, here is an example. I was standing in line at the gas station several years back and I started noticing the man in front of me. He had several tattoos (mostly images pertaining to sailing, weaponry and vikings). It was as though God started highlighting them to me, and I saw a story come to the surface. I had that feeling in my gut that I was supposed to say something to him. Not only was I supposed to talk to a stranger, but I thought I was supposed to tell him that I had a message from the Lord. What? Are you kidding me?
I felt that it was obedience to follow the man to his car and share what I felt in my heart. I complimented his tattoos and started calling out what I had “read” from them. The guy was nodding in agreement, I had called out the meaning of the story in the tattoos. He felt like a pirate and the captain of his own soul. The hard part was, I felt like God was saying that He wanted to be this man’s Captain and be the Anchor of his soul. It was not fun in the moment. I knew that what I was doing wasn’t at all normal in America. And, as much as I wish this story ended with a conversion experience right then, it did not.
I still pray for that gentleman every time I remember this encounter. I truly believe that since God sent me to him that God is going to keep working on his heart. And I hope that he is a believer now with a cool story about how God spoke to his pirate heart through a strange lady at the gas station. I won’t likely know on this side of Glory, but I pray.
I say none of this (the whole post) to bring glory to myself. I mean, yes, I want to be known. Desire to be known and loved is written in the DNA of everyone alive and it is not a sin. But, when I tell these “I serve a great big God” stories I want the focus to be on Him. God is the one who sends His obedient servants to speak to the hearts of pirates. In Acts 9, God sent Ananias to go find a well-known persecutor of the church and not just speak to him, but pray for him. You guys! What must Ananias have been thinking?! We see in Acts 9:13-14 that Ananias told God he was not eager to go meet Saul. Yet Ananias obeyed and as a result he was a part of the process in which Saul became Paul. (Acts 9:17-18, and following)
God is at work to heal and to save human hearts and He lets us be a part of that process.
For me, that means I get to talk to people. I get to lean in and listen to their life story. At times I get to encourage and pray with strangers.
What is your “I could never do that” gifting? Do you speak another language or work as an interpreter? Do you love babies and children and have a heart to teach them? Do you like to serve behind the scenes where your work is deeply appreciated, but rarely seen? Are you soft and people feel safe around you? Are you a good listener? Or a good public speaker? What has God uniquely made you to do? And, where can you do it? Home, church, walmart, gas station, your job, your best friend’s house?
Whatever your gift is, I encourage you to use it. God made you “you” for a reason.
