Sorry if a dupe.

Romans chapter 12, verses 6-8 state:



I don't know what my gift is. It's odd that I can get prayers answered by God but praying to show me my gift goes unanswered. I try not to find the answer myself knowing the power of human biases. And I'm not so vain as to think I know God that we'll as to His why's regarding me. Anyone else experience this or put thought into this?

I always thought of this as describing our talents/abilities.  I dont see that list as exhaustive.  Basically God in His plan has a place for us that uses what we are good at to further his Kingdom.  Is being a gadfly a gift?

I thought I did. I married 10+ years ago, had two life threatening illnesses I was not expected to survive.

I thought I had been spared to guide my step-son and step-daughter (both teenagers) through troubled poor decisions... to be better adults.

It seemed we were successful into guiding them to be well adjusted good adults.

There also was a little new born niece who had chaos in her parents and grand parents... yelling, conflict, immaturity.

Being retired we (my wife and me) took her in 3 to 5 days a week since she was 6 months old.

A quiet calm environment, love, no yelling, a stabile normal fun environment. She in now 9 years old and we may be doing the same for her 4 month old baby brother,

I felt I had been spared because I had unfinished business to guide my step children and my niece and nephew into a normal life.

That is until August 21st of last year.  My 26 yo step-daughter was murdered while on a "fun weekend" with her soulmate... by him because she was tired and did not  want to go back down to the casino.

Needless to say my wife was devastated with losing her baby girl.  Every day after that is another "bad day"...one day after another!

If God spared me for them... I feel I am a total failure! I could not save Sara. I could not protect my wife from the loss and never ending grief.

The murder trial is about 18 months away... and everyday has been hell on earth to some degree.

We have been told it was "Gods plan" and we should forgive him for murdering her.

We both feel it is not our job to forgive him... that is in God's hands.  They do not understand!

We feel it was part of Satan's plan.

There is nothing worse than burying a child. Sara planned to become a nurse. to have children and my wife mourns not having grand-babies.  She lost a daughter and grand-babies.

I feel lost and like I failed my wife and Sara.

I have an eerie ability to send otherwise sober, judicious people into spittle spraying rages.
It's not much, but I'm thankful.

Knowledge about the true power of forgiveness.  (Being able to truly forgive is a gift from God)   My parents spent a long time teaching us about forgiveness, how to ask for it, how to deal with either giving, receiving it, and how to deal with people who can't/won't forgive.  Just because someone requests forgiveness doesn't mean they will receive it.

I am immensely grateful for the lessons they gave me about forgiveness and how it all works.  Actually receiving forgiveness doesn't need to happen in order for us to benefit from requesting forgiveness.

Maybe you don’t have anything that stands out because you’re just good all around.

Most people can’t see themselves well and are surprised when people who know them tell them about how they see them.

I bet you’re more special than you know.

Sorry about your loss @DasRonin.

Thank you for the words @BigeasySnow but I'm not special lol. I'm just a boring broken man. Maybe I should ask around to see what others say. That might be entertaining. It's hard for me to feel like I have a gift when almost every decision I've made has turned out to be the wrong decision concerning my life. At the time I thought I was making the right decision but now looking back I see I was wrong. Guess that's life though and a tale for another thread.

Back in topic-your gift, whatcha got!

You mean like John the Baptizer?

Praying for your family brother.

I have many gifts, but the main "supernatural" one is that I can sense the presence of an evil spirit.  I have actually been surprised on occasion when not everyone in the room could do this.  But I've been in some haunted locations where I could immediately detect the presence of evil, and when I said something, the person in charge of the place would often be surprised that I could pick up on the fact that the place is haunted.

I have been blessed but my greatest gift was knowing with all my being that God is real and omnipresent. Sounds corny but I am so thankful for this assurance while Im on earth.

When I read the OP's topic, I was expecting to go to 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (KJV)

Life.

Potential...

As you put your self to service, your gifts tend to become apparent.  There's survey tests you can take of varying utility to provide suggestions.

Teaching and discernment tend to be the ones that come to the fore for me.

Discernment and encouragement.

The body of believers is the body of Christ.

I don't need a big part, I'm happy to be a tiny bone in the foot of the Lord.