It is still surprising to me that many, if not most, believers I come into contact with have no idea what their spiritual gifts/abilities are. It is imperative for the health of each believer and the healthy functioning of the Body of Christ that we seek our truest identity in Him. There is such satisfaction that comes from becoming spiritually healthy and mature and realizing our vital role that God intended for us before time began. It is so defeating to take our eyes off of the Creator and put them on ourselves. Once we do that we are prone to compare the value of our contributions to Kingdom work with others. Comparison is an ugly and vicious distraction from Satan to keep the prompting of the Holy Spirit from being the loudest voice we hear.

The dictionary definition of healing is “to make well again; to restore”. When thinking about spiritual gifts, many of you may be quick to discount the idea that you might be healers because you don’t pray over people and their physical illnesses are healed or you don’t have wise words of counsel that help to heal the soul. Don’t be so quick to discount the beautiful things that God has created in you. Proverbs 16:24NIV says, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones”. What? A kind word could heal to the bone? Due to the distraction of comparison we get the idea that if we aren’t Billy Graham or Christine Caine or someone else we admire in the faith then what we bring to the table is not valuable. That, my friends, is a disheartening lie! God carefully and uniquely crafted you in your mother’s womb for such a time as this. Colossians 3:12NIV says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”. You and I are God’s chosen ones and if we will allow ourselves to be clothed in those Godly attributes He will use us to make well again and restore broken people.

I have a dear friend that lost her young daughter after a long battle with an auto-immune disease. This happened many years ago but I remember vividly her recounting of something that had happened at her church a few months after her daughter’s death. She was in a service and was totally overcome with emotion. She went outside and was weeping on the church steps. She told me that no one spoke to her or even touched her. Many times there are awkward moments with no wise words or healing (in our sense of the word) that can come but just the touch of a hand in kindness and gentleness can restore to the bone.

A huge part of God’s saving and healing work comes in this: fragile hearts need healing hands. Don’t doubt that kindness and gentleness are huge gifts that God bestows and uses in your life. He never asked you to be Billy Graham or _____________________. He does ask you to see yourself through the filter of the Holy Spirit and embrace the truth and calling that just by being yourself, with your healing hands, you can lift a fragile heart right into His hands. Pour it out my friends. Give away all that you have of yourself. He will always give back to you so much more than you could ever give away. You are a vital part of the Body of Christ. You have just got to own that truth, breathe that truth, and live that truth. Fragile hearts are counting on you!