God Breezes

I was preparing a lesson plan for the Sunday School class I'm about to teach when I got my own lesson. Isn't that how it always works? Our teacher is in Costa Rico taking care of his ill father, so we're taking turns teaching ourselves. We're a unique class and apparently no one wants to take over our class. We're a bunch of misfits, maybe? Maybe they hope if left to our own devices we'll eventually be absorbed into other classes? Not so. We're an independent lot. We're just team teaching each other.

Last week I followed the study guide introduction, but this week it seemed a bit condescending. I know the people in my class, and I knew they would feel that way, too. I had to come up with my own introduction.

Sometimes the introduction doesn't come until you're done with a study. That's the case here. We're in the first chapter of Ephesians. Paul is talking about the power of God and prayer. The study guide wanted to go the route of some people don't dig into God's word and have trouble with the hard principles of the Bible. My class does dig, and doesn't really have trouble understanding principles. I decided to go the route of Spiritual Gifts.

But that got me thinking of my own Spiritual Gifts. Ouch. I know I have the gift of Prayer and Faith. I used to Prayer walk my neighborhood when I lived in Hawaii. But I'm such an active person. I'm a veteran, a DO SOMETHING, DON'T JUST SIT THERE, sort of person. I started having an argument with God. It went something like this:

ME: But, God, You made me. You know how active I am. Why did you give me such a lame, do nothing Spiritual Gift?

GOD (via the Holy Spirit): To really teach you the meaning of Be still and know I am God. And to slow you down! To show you that you can truly do nothing apart from me.

You don't lose Spiritual Gifts. But you miss out on blessings if you don't use your Spiritual gifts. I think it's time I break out that old study of Beth Moore's that I did back in Hawaii on Spritual Gifts as a refresher course. We all are given Spiritual gifts when we are saved. We have our own individual mix in different proportions, according to our faith. And we are all called to pray. Maybe I'll pick up prayer walking my neighborhood again. New neighborhood, neighbors, new problems, blessings. We can all use prayers these days.

Lori Ann Smith