As I am deep in the middle of writing and illustrating my first children's book, I spend an insane amount of time reading and researching. It is the perfect excuse to throw in a load of laundry, snuggle with my three crazy children and feel incredibly productive.
​Have you ever found yourself at the library with your kids, looking for a worthwhile read but end up coming home with Ninja Turtles and (yet another) Disney Princess book?  Yep, me too. But not to worry, my friends! I have created a list of 13 exceptional children's books full of good vibes and beautiful illustrations. These titles encourage kindness, explain emotions, demonstrate love and boost self esteem. You're going to adore them, I promise. 

-Did you know that we are all blessed with spiritual gifts? Did you also know that we should be using these gifts to serve others? It's true! Just ask my boy, Paul. He writes all about it in Romans 12: 4-6. You may find your gift through teaching, healing, missionary work, hospitality, knowledge, mercy, leadership or a handful of other ways. A spiritual gift is a God-given ability, distributed to Christians through the Holy Spirit. We are to use them to help others see Jesus through our works. They often work hand-in-hand with our natural talents. For example, my spiritual gift is encouragement being expressed through the vehicle of artistic talent.

For me, these gifts took years to recognize and I am still such a beautiful hot-mess-work-in-progress. I just know that the stronger I become in my faith, the stronger these gifts grow. In retrospect, it really is an amazing thing to watch unfold. My encouraging/artistic combo is what has lead me to write a children's book. It has helped me identify whom I am best equip to serve. In the world of sales, this can be translated into "Who Is Your Target Market". It doesn't really give you the warm fuzzies, does it? And in all fairness, I use that term when developing a brand for my accounts. It is simply asking, "Who are you trying to sell your product to?" From a business standpoint, you can find the answer to this question by asking the following 3 questions:

From there you would break it down even further and get specific about what your product does and who typically needs help in that area of life. But when we are talking about a target market for your spiritual gifts, things look slightly different. You need to ask yourself, what has God clearly blessed me with and who am I drawn to help.

Let's break this down into 3 steps

1. Identify your spiritual gift and your top 5 natural talents. As I stated earlier, my spiritual gift is encouragement. I love lifting people up and helping them see the positive side of things. (Note: Pessimists do not see this as a gift. But I am not a people pleaser, I am an encourager and there is a major difference. So, to all of the positive people in the world... you do you!) My top natural talents are: creativity, sensitivity, my artistic skillsets, a love for writing and I am a world-class hugger. Take a few minutes and evaluate yourself in this way. If nothing else, it a wonderful way to boost your moral for the day.
2. Who are you drawn to help? Are you the awesomely strange lady who makes conversation with 3 year olds at Target? Do you love going to your grandmother's house to drink coffee and hear all about her favorite memories? Are you in the medical field? Are you a teacher? Do you love empowering women to follow their dreams? How you spend your time and who you spend it with can speak volumes about who God is nudging you to serve. Personally, I am the strange lady at Target making friends with toddlers. I am also drawn to families when they are going through something very difficult. I want to write them cards, paint them pictures and burn them CDs with inspiring tunes. (I am devastated that CDs are being phased out of our world. They are my love language.)
3. Get more specific about this group, or groups of people. Is your future tribe made up of a certain demographic? Meaning are they defined in terms of gender, age, income level, education level or marital status? Or perhaps they are best categorized by their internal attitude and values. Maybe you can can narrow it down further by what life stage they are in, whether it is post-college, retirement, young parents, newly weds or children. 

Once you piece all of these elements together, you should be armed with a pretty clear understanding of who you should be serving with your spiritual gifts. You can now begin to create a life that allows for you to use your gifts to help others. Don't' look at it as yet another thing to do on your list. Look at it as a way to fulfill God's plan for you!

I know this is where God wants me to be and that is an incredible feeling. I hope you are able to find your own spiritual gift and your "target market" to make the world a better place. God made you YOU for a reason. 

Grace + Peace,
​Kate