A few years ago a friend recommended some stuff by Marcus Buckingham and I picked up the StrengthsFinder stuff. One of the revolutionary ideas from Buckingham is that just because I can do something well, doesn't necessarily mean it's my strength. Instead, my strengths should be defined as things that make me feel strong when I do them. So, just because I know how to do a run a house, or shop for the cheapest insurance, or get a mailing out to 500 people doesn't have to mean that those are my strengths. It could just be that I'm really cheap....or a control freak....or that I've worked jobs that have trained me to do those things.
Does that change the way you think about your strengths? When was the last time you did someting in your job or your ministry that made you feel strong when you did it?
Last week I was reminded of one of my strengths. It's one I don't get to function in very often. And when I was doing it, I felt strong. It felt like I had been made to do it. And I think the people around me recognized it, too.
So, as we start a new semester, I'll still be doing mailings and shopping for better deals because those things have to be done. But I'll also be looking for ways to do those things I think God created me to do....and I'm hoping the great students and campus ministers I work with will be looking for opportunities to do the things God made them to do - how exciting is that?!
1 comment:
Gretchen I have never heard that before! Thanks so much for sharing. I've been needing a new way to look at myself. :)
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