Everyone Has a Gift

For many believers, the question of spiritual gifts can become a quiet torment. Some feel left out, as if God passed over them when handing out talents or purposes. That’s the raw and vulnerable place Cara finds herself in a follower of Christ for over a decade, yet feeling like a “talent-less and sinful mess.”

Her question is an honest one: “If I don’t seem to have any spiritual gift, does that mean the Spirit doesn’t actually live in me?”

To that, Scripture offers an emphatic and encouraging no.

The Promise of a Gift

The Bible leaves no room for ambiguity every believer has received a spiritual gift. First Peter 4:10 doesn’t say “if” you have received a gift; it states, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another.” That “each” includes you.

Similarly, 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” These passages do not make room for exceptions. If you belong to Christ, the Spirit of God has equipped you.

Sometimes the problem isn’t the absence of a gift, but our expectation of what those gifts should look like. Many of us expect a lightning bolt moment or a public, visible demonstration like preaching, prophesying, or healing. But spiritual gifts are often quieter, more integrated into who we already are.

Gifts Are Not Talents

Another common confusion lies in equating gifts with talents. Talents like painting, playing music, or fixing things are wonderful, but they aren't necessarily spiritual gifts. A spiritual gift is any ability the Holy Spirit uses to build up the church and glorify God.

It’s important to recognize that God does not judge us based on our perceived usefulness or skill. He looks at the heart. Cara mentioned feeling like a “sinful mess,” and that’s a deeper issue than lacking a gift. God deals seriously with sin, but He also extends real power to overcome it through the Spirit (Romans 8:13). Fighting sin is a mark of His presence, not His absence.

You Are Part of the Body

Paul’s metaphor of the Church as a body is especially comforting here. In 1 Corinthians 12, he talks about how each member no matter how seemingly insignificant has a purpose.

“If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.” (1 Corinthians 12:15)

Even those parts of the body that seem weaker are described as indispensable. This isn’t just poetic language it’s a theological truth. You matter, not in spite of your limitations, but often because of them. They are part of God's divine design to foster compassion, care, and unity among His people.

In fact, researchers in Christian counseling have found that up to 60% of believers struggle with feelings of spiritual inadequacy, especially when comparing themselves to others. You're not alone.

Discovering Your Purpose

The search for a spiritual gift often begins in the wrong place by looking inward with a magnifying glass. Instead, Scripture invites us to look outward, toward others.

1 Peter 4:10 frames the use of gifts in service: “Use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” The gifts are expressions of God’s grace, not badges of personal worth.

In Romans 12:6–8, Paul identifies ordinary acts as spiritual gifts generosity, leadership, mercy. These aren’t mysterious or flashy. They’re simple, relational expressions of God’s love through you. Studies show that acts of service, even small ones like encouraging others or helping someone in need, have a significant impact on mental and spiritual health.

So what if you stopped trying to “find” your gift and simply focused on loving others?

Love is the soil in which spiritual gifts bloom. When you act in love whether it's through a text of encouragement, a home-cooked meal, or listening to someone’s sorrow you may be operating in your gift without even realizing it.

Weakness as a Calling

Sometimes our most significant spiritual contribution isn’t in our strength but in our weakness. The Apostle Paul teaches that those who seem weaker are often those God gives greater honor (1 Corinthians 12:22–24). Why? Because their need invites the church to demonstrate love, honor, and unity.

Even those with profound limitations mental, emotional, or physical have irreplaceable value in the body of Christ. Their very presence calls forth the grace and gifts of others.

And so, Cara and anyone who shares her fear you are not a mistake. Your spiritual journey is not on pause. The Spirit lives in you, works through you, and has gifted you. Not maybe. Not someday. Now.

Don’t Seek a Gift Seek to Love

Rather than exhausting yourself trying to uncover a hidden gift, focus on loving others well. Serve someone. Pray for someone. Bless someone in need. And let God worry about what that means for your spiritual resume.

In time, your gift will become clear not because you found it, but because you lived it.

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