“God has created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do his work.”

God bestows upon us different types of talents: abilities that are inherent and developed, gifts that are natural and supernatural, strengths that are honed and skills that are acquired, and even personality types that are most conducive to accomplishing different stages of an endeavor. Yet all of these are simply potential capacities until we put them to use! Only when we fulfill these unrealized powers will we be most alive and fulfilled. The second-century Church Father, St. Irenaeus, said, “The glory of God is man fully alive!” God delights in our sense of fulfillment, which is inherently tied to realizing the potential of our God-given talents. 

The first step in realizing our potential is, of course, discovering what those God-given talents are. Have you discovered all the various talents God has given you? There are various ways and tools that can help you identify yours. Here are just a few of the most popular ones that cover different types of talents:

• The Catherine of Siena Institute’s Called and Gifted Workshop is a discernment tool that helps you discover your supernatural gifts called charisms. The workshop helps identify a few of the 24 common charisms you may have among the Spiritual Gifts Inventory. 
• Gallup’s CliftonStrengths Assessment identifies 34 different strengths categorized in the four domains of strategic thinking, influencing, relationship building, and executing. The CliftonStrengths report focuses on leveraging your top five strengths. 
• The DiSC Assessment covers the four primary personality types of Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness, where you uncover your primary personality and secondary personality so that you can operate out of what you best do naturally and how to work and engage with one another in complementary and effective ways.
• Patrick Lencioni’s 6 Types of Working Genius helps you recognize at what stage of an endeavor or project your genius will be best brought to bear. The six types of genius are Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity. The assessment identifies which two are your working geniuses, which two are your working competencies, and which two are your working frustrations.

These tools of self-discovery can really help you home in on the different types of talents (charisms, strengths, personality, and geniuses) that God has given you. He has given EVERYONE talents without exception. Yes, you too! There are of course education and knowledge you acquire and skills that you develop that can further build up or supplement your talents. God has given all of them to you as members of the body of Christ in order to help redeem and “Christify” the world (i.e., “to restore all things in Christ”).  

Whatever mix of talents you are given, utilize them! Be a good steward of them! In doing so, you will come alive and sense God’s hand upon you! The Scottish missionary who was also an Olympic 400-meter gold medalist, Eric Liddell, of Chariots of Fire fame, understood this, as he said: “When I run, I feel his pleasure.” Experience God’s pleasure upon you and unleash your giftedness upon the world around you! 

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Cor 12:4-7)

How are charisms a special kind of talent?

Charisms are distinct from natural talents such as athletic or artistic ability. Charisms are supernatural gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit, for the sake of others. Though God gives them to us not for our sake, but for the good of others, we feel especially energized and joyful when we exercise our charisms. They are normally transmitted at the sacraments of baptism and confirmation but need to be exercised in order for the charisms to be manifest. 

The kinds of charisms are so wide and varied that we don’t know how many there are! The Called and Gifted Workshop divides 24 of them into seven types: Pastoral charisms, Communication charisms, Organizational charisms, Healing charisms, charisms of Understanding, Creative charisms, and Lifestyle charisms. 

These charisms are not to be confused with the natural counterparts that some of these charisms have, such as administration, hospitality, and teaching. These three examples can be skills or natural gifts that people can develop, which can produce, for example, the natural results of an ordered or hospitable environment or children learning from a certified teacher. As charisms, however, they are divine gifts that produce supernatural fruit because the Holy Spirit is at work. The only way to find out for sure if what you have is a natural gift or a supernatural charism is to experiment! Do some activity that would invite the use of the charism and see what happens! If something remarkable occurs consistently over time and people often seek you out for the gift you have, then you very well may have a charism!