Written by Becky Swanberg

Discovering our spiritual gifts is a process and sometimes a frustrating one. We wander, we try things, we sense a spark of something, we see a need and fill it. Best case scenario, our community affirms and names our gifting. Worst case scenario, we jump around, not quite sure who God has made us to be or where we fit in the body.

The gift of teaching started in me as a desire to explain things, to make connections for others, to hold out a verse or a story that might stir the soul of someone else. I went along with life, filling teaching roles that opened up mostly in educational spaces, not understanding how this fit in the bigger picture of the body of Christ. I was sobered by James’ warning in scripture that reads, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1) I wasn’t against the idea of teaching in the church, but it didn’t seem like something to rush into or desire.

Over the last thirty years of offering lessons and words of encouragement in many spaces, I’ve found that the significance of your gift is not determined by the number of people receiving it. Faithfulness (not numbers) is what honors God and helps you find your footing as a teacher. The gift of teaching can be cultivated without platforms and microphones, and it starts by paying attention to what God is doing and telling the truth in ways that others can hear it.

The teaching of Christ was at times big and eventful, but mostly it happened in the every day, walking a road or sitting at a meal with His close friends, offering them truth that would point them to the Father. The best teachers are still faithfully doing that today.