Do you know what you're made of?
Lifa: "Hey, Mom. How many people are in South Africa?"
Me: "Hey Siri, what is the population of South Africa."
Siri: "In 2019, the population of South Africa was 59,622,350."
Lifa: "Ok, think about this. What if every person in South Africa gave 5 Rand? We could help so many poor people with Coronavirus! What if ever person even gave 50 Rand?" (R50 ZAR = $3 USD)
I love these random moments when glimpses of character, value and virtue pop up on the way to pick up laundry. (Who can possibly do their own ironing during a pandemic!?!) Chris, Lifa and I had just had a conversation about learning our strengths and spiritual gifts so we could be equipped to serve the church.
Our church, Southpoint Church, offers a "Next Steps" course to help people find their fit in the body of Christ. Step one is to "Discover Your Design". You are virtually guided through assessments for your personality, spiritual gifts, temperament, and a spiritual pathway test. After a short quiz online, your results help you understand how God uniquely designed you and what you can do with your strengths.
We went back to our conversation about the church's assessments after Lifa shared his idea about giving to the poor. "Wow! That sounds like you have a heart for justice, Lifa. You've always liked serving. When we served at a soup kitchen and when you made sandwiches for the hungry, you loved it. Do you think about the underdogs and how to help them very often?" It was like fireworks went off in him when he said yes he does.
We talked about how God made us so uniquely that everyone in a room can look at the same problem differently based on their personalities and gifts. During this coronavirus pandemic, my heart has exploded to establish Help Club for Moms here in order to support and equip families during a hard time. Chris bought us the best face masks he could find and went out of his family was safe while doubling his hours of service to strengthen the local church. Lifa is thinking of the poor, and Benjamin is just happy to have Lifa. As Lifa started to understand the way the body of Christ works, he got even more excited about learning about his design. I did too! As parents, there's nothing that could make us happier than knowing our children have an authentic relationship with Christ and are equipped to live in the fullness of their design. I can't wait to get Lifa started on his assessments!
Our conversation went on to the areas that aren't our strong suits. I talked about how much I loved visiting hospitals to pray with people and sit with people in their darkest times. Lifa's response, "No, Mom. No. Hospitals smell weird, and they are full of sick people. I don't like them." Maybe he's not high on the compassion and mercy scale! We talked about how I am all for generosity, but giving is one of the last things I think to do while it's Chris' go-to. And then we talked about what music is trending on Apple Music and asked Benjamin where his nose was... because you can only be spiritual for so long.
Do you want to discover your design? Click here to take the assessments!
Please note: You can enjoy these assessments obligation-free. However, if you decide to email your results to Southpoint Church, you will be added to their database and receive emails from them.