Different Gifts, Same Spirit
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I’ve read this reading from First Corinthians many times, and maybe you have too. We tend use it for prayer services about community and unity in diversity because it affirms the variety of gifts God has given us. When we think about real life in communities and in families, though, how does a diversity of spiritual gifts manifest? Do we really affirm the gifts in each person? Do we appreciate our own gifts?
I like working on teams with a variety of different people. A diversity of gifts can enhance the outcome of the work, and it also does a lot for the experience of working together. And, of course, gifts often emerge that we didn’t know were there. People rise to the occasion; necessity brings forth that which is possible but hidden.
The thing is, sometimes we need each other to recognize our gifts. I know that in my young years, I had good mentors who called me to do things I didn’t think I could do, and without their invitation, I don’t know that I would have even thought about doing ministry. I said yes when they asked me, mostly because I didn’t want to let them down, but then I found that I was able to do the thing they invited me to do. I remember when I gave my first retreat talk in college. My campus minister asked me to do it, and I was scared, partly because I was afraid of public speaking, and partly because it was the kind of retreat in which every talk was a giant gut spill, and I was afraid of being that vulnerable. I won’t tell you what I shared in that talk, because my gut-spilling retreat days are over, but I can say that I shared from the heart, and it resonated with the other students and affirmed me.
When I was a campus minister, one of the significant parts of my job was putting together teams of students to serve the student community. I would invite students with a variety of gifts, and besides creating a diverse team, what I was trying to do was give students an opportunity to recognize and use their gifts for our community. I knew from my own experience that those years are a time in which students are still growing into themselves, and being on the student leadership team was a wonderful way to nurture and bring forth their gifts. Sometimes students were eager to try new things. Sometimes they were reluctant, afraid of failure, but if things didn’t go perfectly (and they never did), it was still okay. God always filled in the gaps. Working together gave us a chance to build each other up and bonded us together too. Some of the friendships that began on those teams continue today. Some of those students are now married to each other and have little teams of their own.
I loved this time with students, but I know I’m seeing it through the pretty view of hindsight. At the time, it could be stressful and difficult. There were some students who didn’t use their gifts or do much of anything. We didn’t always agree, and there could be tension. A diversity of gifts sounds so nice, but it can be messy, and this is true of all kinds of communities, including families. What happens when someone is so different that I don’t see their gift as gift, and it seems like more of a quirky, annoying quality? Or, what happens when someone has a gift that I wish I had?
It’s easy to look past our own giftedness and wish we had the gifts of someone else. That can play out in a big way in communities and families. Sometimes it comes from something within that whispers that we’re not good enough, or sometimes it’s fostered in environments where some people’s gifts are affirmed and others’ gifts are not. Either way, if people feel envious of others’ gifts, they may disengage or become resentful. In Brené Brown’s book Atlas of the Heart,* she writes that envy is the emotion that makes us want something that someone else has. Resentment is part of the same family of emotions. “Resentment is the feeling of frustration, judgement, anger, ‘better than,’ and/or hidden envy related to perceived unfairness or injustice” (33). Wow. I’ve been there, and I’ve watched other people express those feelings too.
What do we do with that? How can we affirm the gifts of each person so that no one feels slighted or overlooked, envious or resentful? I’m not sure, but what I do know is this problem has existed since the dawn of the first Christian communities. Maybe that’s why this passage from First Corinthians was written in the first place. Also, we see plenty of evidence in the Gospels of the disciples bickering with each other. Who’s the greatest? Who’s right? Who’s the disciple that Jesus loves the most? I wonder if Jesus rolled his eyes a lot during the time he was on earth or if he was able accept it all with patience.
To say that Jesus had an abundance of spiritual gifts is an understatement, of course, but I think even he had to grow into his gifts. When we look at this Sunday’s Gospel, the story of the wedding at Cana, we see that he has to be prompted by his mother to step up and use his gifts. Turning water into wine is not one of the spiritual gifts listed in First Corinthians, but Jesus uses it as such. Not only does he save the party, but what happens becomes a spiritual experience for those who witness it. No one seems envious or resentful. Mostly, they’re just happy to have more wine.
Maybe the solution to resentment is to give people wine, but more than likely it’s to trust the goodness of each person and ourselves – and to create communal spaces that affirm the gifts of each person too. I know that when I’m grounded in the reality that we all have gifts, and when I’m genuinely grateful for what I have, both my personal strengths and all the good things happening in my life, I’m not resentful of someone else. When I feel that have what I need, I don’t wish for what someone else has (33). I don’t feel entitled to everything either. If people could get enough of what they need, and if we could recognize the good things we have already, I think we’d stop reaching for more and just be content.
Also, we are followers of Christ, and any gifts we have are not about us or for us. This reading from First Corinthians tells us that “to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” Our spiritual gifts are not our own; our gifts are intended to be used for service. Our gifts come from God for the benefit of others. We’re just vessels for the goodness of God, and the more accepting we are, the more open we are to the good that God wants to do in and through us.
For Reflection:
Have you ever struggled to recognize your own gifts? Why is that?
Have you ever resented someone else for the gifts they have? What effect does that have on you? Does it move you toward or away from God?
What helps you to be grateful for your strengths?
What helps you to feel free to use your gifts, to try new things, to grow?
Let’s take a moment of silence to see what God has to say to us about our gifts.
*Brown, Brené. Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience. Vermilion, 2021.
By Sister Leslie Keener, CDP
Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She enjoys music, dancing, and spicy food.
God Space is a ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence of Kentucky. Do you want to learn more about the Sisters of Divine Providence? Check out our website here: www.CDPKentucky.org.