What Does God Want Me to Do?
We should be asking ourselves, “Is God calling me to a particular job, profession or type of work to use me as His instrument to make a difference in this world, not for myself but for His kingdom?” And not, “what should I do for a living to live wealthily and achieve worldly success for myself?”
We are called to be IN the world, but not OF the world yet FOR the world.
The call for us laity is to become disciples of Christ, stewards in communion and apostles in mission!
In order to fulfil this call, we need to be formed.
We need to know our personal and communal mission! We need to know our charisms.
But what are Charisms?
There are gifts of the Holy Spirit that we are given to keep and gifts we are given to give away. The traditional “seven gifts of the Holy Spirit” and the “fruits” of the Spirit are gifts given to us to keep. Charisms, on the other hand, are given to us to give away, and are one of the ways God continues to enter the world through our assent and cooperation. They always benefit other people.
God- given spiritual gift, distinct from a natural talent
Charisms have been with us for a long time and we can “unlock” them
At baptism and Confirmation, the Holy Spirit gave us a special mix of gifts enabling us to operate effectively as unique members of the Body of Christ
Some people ask, why do you need to know your charisms? You have a good idea of what your gifts are – why not just use them?
Top 5 Reasons to Discern our Charisms
1.Discerning your charisms can help you excel on the job. We are called to excel in every aspect of our lives, including our jobs. Discerning our charisms can help us discover how God has gifted us to make us more effective at what we do for a living, no matter what kind of work we do.
2.Understanding our charisms can free us from the need to compare ourselves to others. When we judge ourselves not measuring up to the standards of others, we can be freed by recognizing that our giftedness and calling are different from others.
3.We can simplify our life and avoid a burnout. If we know our gifts, we can exercise our charisms in our area of giftedness. And when we do, we will feel energized and fulfilled. We can also say ‘no’ when people ask for things that we do not really have to give.
4.Understanding our charisms can make a big difference in family life! We can better understand and cherish our partner’s gifts and help recognize and nurture the emerging gifts of our family members. Some people recognize that they are especially called and gifted by God to work with children or families.
5.Knowing the charisms that we have been given can greatly clarify our decision-making. In particular, a life transition of changing jobs, re-entering the job market, entering retirement and so on.
We are to actively help spread the faith through our relationships at work, in our families, and among friends. Our charisms are tools given to us by God to help us bring Christ to others and to be a sign of God’s loving presence in the world.
By Julianne Danielle Lim