Spiritual Gifts

Last night our family had Tithing Settlements with our Bishop. As we waited for him to finish meeting with another family who had an appointment prior to ours, our ward clerk handed us a form to fill out. It was a paper asking us to list our "skills" and "resources" that we'd be willing to offer to our local community members in case of a natural disaster. As I began filling it out with all our camping equipment and Matt's skills (roofing, carpentry, etc), I stopped dead in my tracks wondering what in the world I could offer. What was I good for? Did I have any skills/talents to offer?

I'm  not going to lie, it was kind of depressing. I am someone who possesses qualities that a lot of people think are useful. I cook. I clean. I'm extremely well-organized. I'm a great writer. I'm punctual. I'm a nazi when it comes to proper grammar/English. I can make people and places look "pretty." I can make people laugh. I am pretty good at public speaking. But how in the world are those things useful? I don't want to be someone who sits around and watches other people be useful, while I wallow in the corner of my own "uselessness." You know what I  mean? Do you ever have thoughts like this?

Living in today's generation isn't always the easiest. With the use of social media, it's quite easy to see what other people's "usefulness" is. You see others' talents, and then find yourself wishing you had those as well.

Am I the only one?

As I scrolled down Facebook looking at my friends and their useful talents, I came across a post from LDS Living that asked you to comment with your testimony. At first I went past it, then went back to it. This is something I could easily do. I jotted down my testimony of the Book of Mormon. As I continued scrolling on Facebook afterwards, I received a notification that somebody had "liked" my comment. It was then that it struck me: I have a gift to share my testimony and help others Come Unto Christ. I am useful by helping others feel God's love through  my personal testimony. I decided to copy and paste my testimony on my own personal Facebook status. Immediately I had several people/friends comment thanking me for it, and how encouraged they were to read it themselves.

WOW!

I honestly never thought I'd have such a quick, lasting impact. Throughout the night I received several more reactions and comments. I even received a message from an old friend thanking me, telling me how much it brightened her day, then asking for advice on how she could be better at studying/understanding the scriptures.

I am thankful Heavenly Father has blessed me with so many gifts in life. I may not have the most "physical" gifts, but I know I have several "spiritual" gifts that I can share and help with others in bringing to pass the Lord's work while here on this earth.