Building on Strengths
"You can’t take a really bad asset and think you’re going to fix it up. It just doesn’t work. Don’t spend your time trying to fix your weakness. Spend your time improving your strengths."
Ian Telfer, CEO Goldcorp Inc.
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."
1 Peter 4:10-11 (NIV)
posted by W Mark Stanley @ 4:06 PM
3 Comments:
I don't actually agree with that. I've come to the conclusion that our weak areas are what prevent our strong ones from being really used by God.
I know there is one area of ministry where I will never, ever be gifted. I just don't have it in that area of work. But I have discovered I can work on the basics. I can get to a level of basic competency that I don't actually wreck someone's day when I have to work in this area. Similarly in my personal life there's been one area of hopelessness I've been working on hard and my family and friends really appreciate it. I'm not there, but I'm working on it. The main focus has to be on our areas of main gifting. But the rest should not be neglected. Anyhow that's my take on it, so feel free to come back and argue! Blessings :0)
I agree with you, our focus needs to be in the area of our gifting - I believe God expects us to use the gifts He's given, for the building up of the body.
The quote from Telfer is refering to assets (things) rather than personal traits or abilities. I can think of examples where we've dedicated significant resources (personnel, finance, intellectual) to an endeavor that is yielding little fruit. On the other hand, there are situations where we have growth, excitement, and vitality, but resources are just not forthcoming.
Looking at personal issues, there are most definitely areas we should try and improve - if one is not a good listerner, then one needs to and should work on that, and so on. The context for me is, if I'm gifted in music I should work at developing that to the max for the glory of God. I think it has something to accepting where you're gifted and where you're not. My context is one where there is often a sense and expectation that our leaders can be all things to all people - great preachers, great teachers, great administrators, great leaders, great counselors, etc. Not only is that not realistic, it is not biblical.
Thanks for the comments!
Hmm. There are dangers in trying to do everything, for groups in mission as well as individuals at work. I have two perspectives here, as a sister doing ministry training. On the one hand I see the sense of identifying your strengths and working to them, whether as a congregation or an individual. On the other hand I have the experience of having spent time with a lot of brothers and sisters in religious communities who have had to simply do what needed doing, even when that was miles from their gifting! And somehow God gave them the grace and the strength. I am also thinking of a particular congregation (not TSA) with a very contemplative heart, and a eucharistic emphasis. But it has recently been invaded by a lot of asylum seekers and people with mental health problems. I will watch with interest to see what develops! Good to read your blog, I will visit regularly.
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