The gift of working outside my giftedness

One of the gifts I never believed I possessed is teaching. But, somehow, the Lord has put me in a position where I have to teach/train others.

 

It began with brothers and sisters in a city near where I live in southern Europe, asking me to teach them how to craft biblical stories. Following that experience, Andrew, who directs a Christian training center in the region, asked me to teach a group of believers at his center and in three other countries where he ministers.

 

Within two weeks of Andrew’s invitation, I was approached by a ministry worker from South America who attends the same church I attend, asking if I would teach him and others who are in Christian ministry. He and his group share my passion to reach people of the majority faith here. They’re beginning to believe that crafting biblical stories can help them do that more effectively.

 

I agreed to teach Andrew’s group with one condition: that this would not be only a brief introduction to stories, but a longer-term commitment to weekly prayer and effort to craft stories together, specifically suited to the worldview of the people we intend to reach. They all agreed to the condition!

 

As of late May, Andrew’s group of six workers – from Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico – began meeting, praying and learning together, with an American translating for me. It appears God has chosen to give many more opportunities to teach than I would have sought, because I believed I wasn’t gifted. The real issue is to be obedient to what he lays before us and leave the results to him.

 

Praise the Lord for these opportunities to share what “we have heard from him ... to entrust to reliable people, who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Tim. 2:2)