god gives me strengths

over the last few weeks, we've been working on discovering our strengths and spiritual gifts as a congregation.  in church council last week, we had a retreat during which we talked about all of our strengths (having taken the strengths finder test and read the book living your strengths).

my top five strengths themes are: connectedness, input, intellection, activator, and context.  that's four that are very connected to thinking and one that's ready to get things going.  a pretty good combination if i do say so myself :)  recognizing my input and connectedness themes at work, i tried to collect and sort information about everybody's strengths and figure out how they worked together.  i started doing that, but haven't quite figured it all out yet (not surprising there either).

i have been trying to figure out how i (and others) work for quite a while (as long as i can remember if i'm completely honest).  i really enjoy taking personality tests and figuring out more about who i am and how i work.  i have recently been also trying to figure out my enneagram number.  i write all this not because i've figured it all out (if so, then i wouldn't have to take more tests), but because i've been realizing some things about this culture in which i live.

a lot of what i have been taught/grown up with is that it's really important to improve or fix my weaknesses.  in seminary the buzz word seems to be "growing edges."  the book i read, living your strengths, had really good insights into that.  i am really good at a variety of things (making connections, collecting information, starting things, thinking through plans, etc.).  i am not so great at other things (remembering names, seeing things through to the end without a deadline).

i know this about myself.  now, what makes more sense: to continue to live into what i'm good at and seek out people in my life (especially in work) who have complimentary rather than similar gifts, or trying to make myself really good at remembering names, while neglecting things i'm actually good at?

god has gifted me with certain gifts, talents, and abilities and to not use them and instead try to make more use of gifts, talents, and abilities i don't have doesn't make sense.  it's not valuing myself and it's not valuing the uniqueness of god's creation.  so, i've decided to work really hard at doing what i'm good at and what i enjoy (and admittedly, there are always going to be some things that i just need to do, and i accept that) and find people in my life whose gifts, talents, and abilities compliment mine so that we can work together.

living out of my strengths just makes more sense.  it living out of god's abundance rather than out of god's scarcity.  trusting that god has gifted all people and that there are enough of us that we can work together to support each other through our strengths and weaknesses.