Who Am I? Understanding My Gifts and My Call         Email a friend

One of the challenges for all Christians is to make the connection between what we learn in church and every other aspect of our lives. It’s precisely the school bus, lunchroom, athletic field, Internet pages, and workplace where our faith most needs to be demonstrated.

The Bible is filled with stories of how ordinary faithful people connect their beliefs with their choices and the way they live their lives. They are models of how we are to live as God’s children. Indeed, throughout his life, Jesus continually demonstrated the call from the prophet Micah in the Old Testament “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 3:6).

“Who Am I? Understanding My Gifts and My Call” (this study) invites participants to reflect on the gifts and strengths they have and a time when these have been used for service to others. They will engage in a lectio divina exercise contemplating a scriptural verse describing the marks of a Christian and consider how these gifts may be used throughout their lives in service to the world.

We are pleased to provide three studies reflecting on what God is calling one to do and be. The activities and focus are just a little different, and your group may benefit from using all three of them.

"The Real Me" invites participants to resist focusing on what they will do in life and spend some time reflecting on the unique qualities that make them who they are. The session begins by looking at Harry Potter and the outside pressures he faced and the inner convictions he held. Participants will then consider what others are telling them about themselves and reflect on whether or not these remarks are really true.

"Here I Am, Lord: Now What?" explores what it means to say “Here I am, Lord.” We need to understand our context, who we are, and who God is in order to reply. Through reading Scripture and thinking about these three aspects of call, youth try to make some important connections as they reflect on their response to God and their ability to say, “Here I am.”