Spiritual Gifts in the Holiday Season: 10 Ways to Give True Gifts

Give the gifts that keep on giving--yours! All of your spiritual gifts and practical talents are needed, appreciated and welcomed during this season.

Consider ways to maximize the use and effectiveness of your spiritual gift during this holy season.

One thing you might do is serve those in need. You can do it after Christmas or even after the new year, when the community needs are still very high.

1. Use your gift of administration or leadership (Romans 12:8) to coordinate a low-stress, high-impact service event that will help meet a particular community need (and yes, Big Picture Person, you have to attend!). The need can be practical, spiritual or both.
2. Make planning this service event a team effort, and include people gifted as helpers (1 Corinthians 12:28) as your supporters.
3. Remember to include those who are gifted in healing (1 Corinthians 12:9) and deliverance (Mark 16:17) on the planning team and as participants. Many of the community’s spiritual needs are based in experiences with different types of bondage.
4. Those with servant’s (Romans 12:7) hearts have a great opportunity to support this event. They can help create the event, invite people to participate, and to work at and after the event. Servants will work with their hands and from their hearts to meet the practical needs of community members during this cold, economically-challenged holiday season. The front-line place of servants will help make the event's impact go far beyond the event itself.

Another thing that’s needed during the holidays is to reach out to people on a personal level. Depression, suicide and drug abuse are understood to increase for some groups of people during this season.

1. If you’ve got a merciful (Romans 12:8) heart, reach out to an alienated member of your own immediate or extended family.
2. If you’re working on this reconciliation, tap in to someone who has the gift of hospitality to help smooth out the process (1 Peter 4:9-10). Their home may serve as a temporary safe haven if things get rough.
3. If you are a gifted intercessor (1 Timothy 2:1), now would be the time to partner with the merciful folks in your life who are reaching out to family. Let’s not even try to imagine the possible drama that might come about…just pray!

And, nothing says Chanukah, Christmas or Kwanzaa like gift-giving!

1. Gifted givers (Romans 12:8), this is your season! Your challenge is to give creatively (time, things you make with your hands, re-gifting, home-made coupons for babysitting, etc.) without completely depleting your financial, spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, or energy bank.
2. Seek the help of a good friend, family member, or trusted person of faith who is gifted in living with simplicity (1 Corinthians 13:3; Acts 2:44-45) to help you keep within your bank-spending limits without curbing your enthusiasm.

Lastly, whatever you do this season, make sure that people with a gift of faith (1 Corinthians 12:9, Hebrews 11:1) are on board. Their unique willingness and ability to discern, pray, work hard to accomplish tasks, and inspire others to do the same is a gift that is always in season.