Why Knowing Your Redemptive Gift Changes the Way You Serve and Parent

The second week of ministry included a mission trip to Cartagena, Columbia. 

Cartagena has changed me. The people, the places, the food have my heart. We visited 2 prisons, a school, a Venezuelan refugee center, 2 churches, and hosted a pastors conference. It was intense, beautiful, and raw. We were the hands and feet of Jesus, bringing people food, hygiene kits, fresh bread, devotionals, and prayer. I saw Him move.

But I also wrestled.

As a NextGen pastor, I'm used to slow, long-term discipleship-- watching kids, teens, and young adults grow in Christ over the years. But this trip was more "touch and go". We would pray, give food, minister briefly... and then move on. 

I found myself struggling. Was it enough?

As I sat with the Lord about it, I realized something powerful: this was a holy mismatch. I had stepped into a form of ministry that wasn't how I was wired, and that's okay.

Because God designed me to go deep. To plant roots. To disciple slowly and intentionally. And that is my redemptive gift. 

What are Redemptive Gifts? 

The redemptive gifts are outlined in Romans 12: prophet, servant, teacher, exhorter, giver, ruler, and mercy. 

"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Romans 12:6–8 ESV

"In Scripture, there are patterns among the heptadic groupings throughout scripture that link together. For example, Teachers are often found in medical and research arenas, and most medicines derive from some plant life on some level, and when were plants created?

The Third Day, and the Teacher is listed third among the seven gifts." The Paraclete's Hammer Introductory Post. 

So, by looking at the reoccurring patterns of 7s throughout scripture, we are able to identify characteristics of each of the seven giftings.

These gifts are important to helping you identify the way you connect to the Father, in a redemptive aspect. From the beginning humans were called to be redemptive over creation:

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:27-28

The ultimate plan of God is for redemption. We each are gifted with a way to connect to God and bring about his redemptive plans; our children too. 

As someone with the redemptive gift of prophet, I am drawn to brokenness and can help others rebuild their broken lives by identifying design, calling, and order. It was difficult for me to identify design with such short "touch points" with the people of Cartagena while on the mission trip, but that doesn't mean that God didn't use it. I just know that, that kind of ministry is not my gifting or my calling. 

Parenting Insight: Your Kids Have Gifts Too

Just like we have a redemptive design, so do our children. Imagine raising your kids not just to behave--but to understand their redemptive identity. To know the unique way God has wired them to bring heave to earth. 

When kids discover who God is, who they are, how they're designed to connect with God they grow into Kingdom leaders. 

Check out our FREE Redemptive Gift Quiz

And if you want to learn more about the Redemptive Gifts, check out the course HERE. 

If you've never been on a mission trip-- go. 

If you've never explored your redemptive design-- start. 

And if you're raising children-- teach them their identity in Christ. 

Learn More with our Identity in Christ Course HERE.

Not all ministry will match your wiring, and that's ok. But we are all called to bring heaven to earth. Even "touch and go" moments can be divine assignments.