OCALA, Fla. — Cherie Blount struggled for twenty years to try to discover her personal gifts. Finally, she concluded: she has none.
"I am a wonderfully non-gifted member of God’s kingdom, and I’m not ashamed of that anymore," she says.
Blount no longer worries about whether she has a special skill or talent. Rather, she has used her experience to start a ministry called No Gift Required for people who have been through countless "find your gifting" and "Pathways" classes with no success. The ministry has spread to dozens of churches.
"All these years I felt I was born with a spiritual birth defect," says one man at a Sunday morning No Gift Required meeting in Tallahassee. "But here I feel bonded with other non-gifted people. It’s exciting for me."
No Gift Required’s curriculum conspicuously lacks any talk of purpose and destiny and instead focuses on general personal development. On occasions when people actually find they are gifted at something, they are asked to leave the class.
"It makes the rest of us uncomfortable," Blount says. "We politely request that they move on."
Non-gifted members feel they have an advantage over gifted people who have to spend so much time developing their special skill.
"It’s almost like being married," says one non-gifted person. "You’re chained to your talent, whereas non-gifted people have a real sense of freedom."
Gifted people sometimes drop by the non-gifted class out of curiosity.
"Honestly, it looks pretty relaxing," says one gifted man. "It must be nice to not feel ‘gift pressure.’"
For many, No Gift Required is a much-needed oasis.
"It’s a relief to have this struggle in my life removed," says one woman. "Now I don’t have to be gifted, I just have to be around."
SOURCE: Larknews.com
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