ENGAGING THOUGHT
A little boy stands in his backyard with a baseball and a bat. Tossing the ball into the air, he declares to no one in particular, "I am the world's greatest hitter!" He swings and misses. On his second attempt he again declares, "I am the world's greatest hitter!" Again, he strikes. Not a problem, just building for the dramatic moment. "I am the world's greatest hitter!" Strike three. As he reaches for the rebellious ball, with a determined resolution he mumbles to himself, "Apparently I'm also the world's greatest pitcher."
Most of us were taught to be just a bit more self-deprecating than this young man when it comes to assessing our own abilities. I'm not going to advocate for proclaiming our awesomeness to the entire Universe, but really, what's so wrong about being honest when it comes to the things we can do well? I know, I know,...we all have that "friend" who has to be the greatest at everything and has no problem declaring to us all that they are, in fact, the greatest at everything. No, you are not allowed to slap them (I know you've been tempted to). Here's the (harsh) reality: no one can be excellent at everything. We each have our unique mix of talents and abilities that determine the types of things we can excel at.
Let's use athletics as an example (you can extrapolate into other non-athletic areas on your own). If you were born to be 7' 2" tall and weigh 170 pounds you simply will not excel at Olympic Power-Lifting (sorry to burst your bubble). I had a friend growing up that was much shorter than I was and we'd sometimes get into these weight-lifting kicks. I was always frustrated when he could lift much more weight than I could - until I realized that he was bench-pressing that barbell a full six or eight inches while I had to keep extending for about a half-hour before my arms reached their full extension. Similarly, if you're built resembling an anvil or a barrel, the Kenyan marathon runners won't be fearing you - no matter how hard you train. Did you know that the ability to throw a 90+ mph fastball has nothing to do with arm-strength? It's where the tendons in a pitcher's elbow are attached that makes the difference - they are either born to throw that fast or not. It's genetics, man!
Well, what about our mental, emotional, and personality traits? Could those be predisposed to excel at certain things over others? Don't get me wrong: I'm not the type of person to go around looking for and declaring limits to human endeavors or abilities - but let's also dwell in reality. Someone born with high-capacity for spatial reasoning (engineering/mechanical stuff) is probably not destined to make a good Research Librarian for the Humanities Department. Some personalities are more inclined - and gifted - for certain occupations and roles in society than they are for others. There's an old adage that goes like this: get a charming lawyer and a nerdy accountant - not the other way around!
Is it so unthinkable that God might have given us talents and abilities specific to His intentions for our lives? Example: I'd make an awful nurse. My "mercy" giftings are virtually non-existent. It's not that I don't care about people's suffering - it just doesn't even register on my radar. Put a sick person in front of me and I'll start rallying the troops and resources to build a hospital. See the difference? I have a friend that can't stop "teaching" no matter what the occasion: you ask him what time it is and he'll start by giving you the history of watches. Guess what he does? That's right, he's a teacher. Took him a while (and a couple career-shifts) to figure that out, too.
What about you and your abilities? Might they be telling you something about God's DREAM for your life?
Most of us were taught to be just a bit more self-deprecating than this young man when it comes to assessing our own abilities. I'm not going to advocate for proclaiming our awesomeness to the entire Universe, but really, what's so wrong about being honest when it comes to the things we can do well? I know, I know,...we all have that "friend" who has to be the greatest at everything and has no problem declaring to us all that they are, in fact, the greatest at everything. No, you are not allowed to slap them (I know you've been tempted to). Here's the (harsh) reality: no one can be excellent at everything. We each have our unique mix of talents and abilities that determine the types of things we can excel at.
Let's use athletics as an example (you can extrapolate into other non-athletic areas on your own). If you were born to be 7' 2" tall and weigh 170 pounds you simply will not excel at Olympic Power-Lifting (sorry to burst your bubble). I had a friend growing up that was much shorter than I was and we'd sometimes get into these weight-lifting kicks. I was always frustrated when he could lift much more weight than I could - until I realized that he was bench-pressing that barbell a full six or eight inches while I had to keep extending for about a half-hour before my arms reached their full extension. Similarly, if you're built resembling an anvil or a barrel, the Kenyan marathon runners won't be fearing you - no matter how hard you train. Did you know that the ability to throw a 90+ mph fastball has nothing to do with arm-strength? It's where the tendons in a pitcher's elbow are attached that makes the difference - they are either born to throw that fast or not. It's genetics, man!
Well, what about our mental, emotional, and personality traits? Could those be predisposed to excel at certain things over others? Don't get me wrong: I'm not the type of person to go around looking for and declaring limits to human endeavors or abilities - but let's also dwell in reality. Someone born with high-capacity for spatial reasoning (engineering/mechanical stuff) is probably not destined to make a good Research Librarian for the Humanities Department. Some personalities are more inclined - and gifted - for certain occupations and roles in society than they are for others. There's an old adage that goes like this: get a charming lawyer and a nerdy accountant - not the other way around!
Is it so unthinkable that God might have given us talents and abilities specific to His intentions for our lives? Example: I'd make an awful nurse. My "mercy" giftings are virtually non-existent. It's not that I don't care about people's suffering - it just doesn't even register on my radar. Put a sick person in front of me and I'll start rallying the troops and resources to build a hospital. See the difference? I have a friend that can't stop "teaching" no matter what the occasion: you ask him what time it is and he'll start by giving you the history of watches. Guess what he does? That's right, he's a teacher. Took him a while (and a couple career-shifts) to figure that out, too.
What about you and your abilities? Might they be telling you something about God's DREAM for your life?
ACTION STEP
The goal of today's ACTION STEP is to make a list of the things you do well (or at least really enjoy doing). Pick at least three of the following questions and list your answers:
1) What make you smile? (Activities, people, events, hobbies, projects, etc.)
2) What are your favorite things to do?
3) What activities are guaranteed to make you lose track of time?
4) What have you been rewarded/awarded for?
5) What would you teach to others if you were asked to teach anything?
6) Do people repeatedly ask you to help with any specific things?
7) What types of things would you gladly volunteer to do?
Tomorrow we'll ask some honest questions about who really benefits from us discovering, pursuing, and living God's DREAM.
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