Why StrengthsFinders?
I am not a people person. There, I said it. Whew! Feels so good to get that off my chest! This is a very inconvenient deficiency to have when you work at church. Church leaders are supposed to notice new people, walk up to them confidently, introduce them to the church, get to know them, and make them feel like they belong (or that they could belong), all without creeping them out with our uber-friendliness. Watching someone who has this gift in action is a thing to behold. It’s amazing. They make it look so….effortless!
I wish I had this gift. I beat myself up for not having this gift. I fake it and pretend like I’m a people person anyway…usually with disastrous results. I’m just no good at small talk! My mind is so full of ideas, and information, and plans for the next hour, and thoughts about the sermon I just heard, that I have trouble listening well to others. And that’s if I even notice a person who requires an introduction. I have tried really hard to fix this about myself—I promise I have! But so far, it has really been to no avail.
But I have learned that I don’t need to “fix” myself anymore.
I had the wonderful pleasure of reading, “Living Your Strengths” this week in preparation for the StrengthsFinders workshop offered by Pastor Mike this Saturday, October 15. It turns out that my number two talent is called “Intellection.” That really simply means that I like to think. I like mental activity. I have what is described as a “mental hum” constantly buzzing. One sentence that I found in the description of this talent particularly struck me: “You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection.”
I read that sentence over and over. I’ve known that about myself before but I never considered it a strength. It always felt more like a personality flaw on Sunday mornings when I have the urge to make a beeline for the Kid’s Church room before anyone can stop me and make small talk. But I have learned that this quirk that I have always considered to be a hindrance in my work at church is actually a talent.
The Apostle Paul describes talents as gifts from God that make us uniquely useful to God. It’s the way He made you so that you can do precisely the job He has in mind for you—and only you—to do. He thoughtfully and carefully weaves them into the fabric of your being.
He wove Intellection into the fabric of my being and all this time I have struggled to change it, as if God was mistaken when He made me this way. Making the discovery that it is actually a talent has freed me in a way. It gives me permission to accept that I’m not a people person. I’m never going to be. It’s not a talent that I possess. Not because I’m flawed or deficient, but because God didn’t need me to be. He knew there would be plenty of others in our church who would have that gift.
And now the task before me is developing my strengths—capitalizing on them for the good of the Kingdom, because there are things that only I can do! How exciting is that? How much more good can you do if you know what your talents are? And conversely, if you know what your talents aren’t so that you can stop wasting your time trying to fix something God never wanted for you in the first place.
There is still time to register for the workshop this Saturday from 9am-3pm (lunch is included). You can stop by the church narthex any day (except for Monday) and pick up the book, “Living Your Strengths.” Don’t miss out on the rewarding experience of knowing who you are, what you’re good at, and what God made you to do.