Dear Emily,

Grandma and I were glad to hear that your Bible study is going well! We know the workings of God’s kingdom in human hearts are usually hidden from our view. Yet it is wonderful when the Spirit grants us little glimpses of how he uses the gospel to “turn on the lights” in hearts as they grasp ever more clearly his glorious truth!

The answer to your question about the gifts God gives to men and women is a simple “Yes!” Yes, God has given to women a set of spiritual gifts just as wide and broad as he has given to men. But we cannot understand our own spiritual gifts—or that of others around us—without an understanding of two simple yet beautiful words: calling and callings.

That word calling takes you back, Emily, to that day 23 years ago when you were only 10 days old. There at the baptismal font your pastor spoke your name. More importantly, he spoke the name of the Triune God as he applied the water. That startled you and made you cry! But that only meant your tears matched the tears of joy in our eyes. We were filled with joy. On that day, God called you to faith and brought you into his church. He made you part of his glorious bride—yes, that was the significance of that miniature wedding gown you wore that day.

And with that calling to faith, God poured out all the gifts every Christian—both male and female—has. Paul begins a magnificent inventory of the awesome gifts we share as those called to belong to God: “one body, one Spirit . . . one hope . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4,5).

Paul knew that there were many more blessings God gave to his “called.” He was only listing the highlights of the family treasure every one of us holds in common as children and heirs of God. That’s why we cannot emphasize enough that what we have in common as Christian men and women far exceeds what is unique about us.

And yet, what we have in common does not cancel the unique place Christ has in mind for each member of his body. All of us are in the body of Christ. That’s where our one common calling broadens out into the unique set of callings God gives each of us. And that’s where our unique spiritual gifts come into play as well! In each of the unique callings God places before us, his grace also equips us with every gift needed to carry out those callings to his glory and honor.