What IS my spiritual gift. or What is MY spiritual gift.

Pardon the personal nature of this, but I feel it coming on, and need to get it out.

I’m a classroom elementary teacher. I have a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and a masters in educational technology. I’ve been working with kids since before I was out of eighth grade; first teaching Bible stories to the little kids in the 0-3 year class, then moving on to church youth groups, and various positions at a church summer camp. I took a year out of college to work as a teacher in a mission field and finally getting my degree. I loved the kids and the sponges they are for learning.

But I think I’m burnt out. I’m tired of spending half the lesson time moving kids around because of misbehavior, telling them to be quiet, or interrupting the class to talk to one privately. The fun of teaching is gone.

After my mom’s cancer diagnosis in June, I decided it was time to resign my position in the Children’s Ministries department at our church, and the news was not well taken by the leader, prompting this entry.

Since that time, I’ve wondered if teaching is really a spiritual gift or passion, or if it was something just expected of me. I recently started attending a class dealing with spiritual gifts, and have immediately been affirmed WRITING might be a higher gift from God then teaching. Now that doesn’t mean my teaching ability isn’t a gift, I just might not be as natural at it as some.

Here is what has happened to me in the past couple weeks.
To help me with my mom’s (and my brother’s) illnesses, I started an adult small group creative writing and journalism class, something I would have NEVER considered doing just three or four months ago.
After the first meeting of that spiritual gifts class I attended, a friend asked me to help her write articles for our church programs to be submitted in local, regional and world wide denominational papers. This is a lady that I don’t really know well.
Our music director, called me this afternoon out of the blue (Saturday is usually a VERY busy day for him) and asked me if I would be willing to write skits and plays for our service.
And two different board members called from my son’s home school co-op to ask if I would be willing to do the newsletter again this year, and to make arrangements to get emails to me.

The second parent and I were on the phone for over 45 minutes with talk that dwelled mostly on this topic of spiritual gifts. Please don’t ask me how we got there, because spiritual gifts wasn’t the reason for the call. But she shared several gems with me that really lifted my spirits. My favorite one is this, “If you burn out of something you think you like to do, it may be because that isn’t your best spiritual gift. It may be a gift, but you have to work harder at it, it tires you out, and you need to take a break. Your top rated one would be easy for you to do, you love it, and it will seem you never burn out doing it.”

OK, so if I burned out from teaching, does that mean that is not my highest spiritual gift? I’m OK with that. After all the seemingly affirmations of writing, is that direction the Lord wants me to take right now? I’m OK with that, too.

Am I so excited about Tony’s Abeka DVD curriculum because it takes the burden of coming up with, and teaching a curriculum to Tony because I don’t want to deal with teaching per se? That’s OK.

Did I help Tony start a blog because it’s a writing skill I can use to help him learn geography, writing, computer etiquette and the world around us, because it’s a writing skill I can combine with teaching? Yep.

I’ll leave you all this mumble jumble with one more thought. I thank the Lord that my “emotionally unstable” mind is open enough to see where I need to go.

AUGUST HAPPY MOMENT: Having a very good, spiritually uplifting talk with a fellow Christian mom.