_________________________________

USING YOUR GIFTS TO HELP OTHERS


We've heard from a pretty reliable source that you're a gifted individual.
The Bible makes it clear that God has given all of us special talents
and abilities he hopes we'll use to encourage the people around us.

Ask yourself a few questions: "What do I like? What am I good at?
What types of things interest me?" Those are probably pretty easy
questions for you to answer, but here's a tougher one: "How can I use
my gifts, talents, and abilities to help others in my school?" Here's an
even tougher question: "Am I willing to do it?"

God didn't gift you so you'd leave those gifts unopened. He didn't
gift you so you'd open the gifts and use them just for yourself. The
truth is God gave you your gifts with the expectation that you'll use
them to make a difference in the world around you. And it just might
be that no place needs you to use your gifts more than your school does.

Are you good at math? Maybe you can tutor someone who's struggling.

Are you a good athlete? What if you decided to ask the kid who
always gets picked last to be on your team in P.E.?

Are you good at encouraging others? How about finding the new
kid or the loner and inviting him to eat lunch with you?

Do other people look up to you? Think what could happen if you
rallied a bunch of your classmates and started a new movement.
Like a movement to treat substitute teachers with respect or treat
others the way you want to be treated or make the janitor's job easier
by picking up your own trash.

What if you started a one-person movement? Like a movement to
use your God-given gifts, talents, and abilities to make a difference on your campus.

**
Taken from "My School" by Kurt Johnston and Mark Oestreicher,
copyright 2007 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission.
Order the book here: http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=349