THE LIST: What’s Your Wheelhouse?

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The List

I’ve heard the term wheelhouse quite often lately as I watch those talent-based reality television shows this summer. (My favorite these days: Food Network Star) The term wheelhouse means that you are in the zone where you are doing what you do best, what makes you most happy, what you are passionate about. Sometimes it is a good thing to get out of our comfort zone and try new things. But, I think there’s a balance needed. The world has so much for us to offer: hundreds of careers to try out, tons of ideas on Pinterest to create, innumerable options for fashion statements. We are inundated with possibilities. I personally get a bit overwhelmed!

That’s why this wheelhouse concept is intriguing me today as I think about my God-given talents and passions and how I can, today, focus on the things I do best instead of allowing myself to get frazzled by all the options and possibilities around me.

For today’s LIVE IT OUT! List let’s think of a couple of things that we might call our wheelhouse. Think about the activities you do or the jobs you’ve taken on (whether paid or volunteer) that fill your soul with joy simply because you know you were meant to do them. If you are a creative type, think about projects you take on or fashion styles you turn to that are uniquely express who you are…who God made YOU to be. This might be a tough LIST for some of us but I challenge you to at least think of ONE thing in your wheelhouse. Alrighty? I will go first…

~Communicating: I love to TALK. I love to encourage people with my words whether written or spoken.

~Connecting: I love connecting people together, especially if there’s a new person in the room…like networking…

~Creating: Along with stringing words into sentences, my wheelhouse with creating is using vibrant color in a messy yet organized fashion…that might not even make sense!!

~Fashion wheelhouse: Color paired with conservative. I’m told that I have a conservative, structured style but with a splash of color or bling added in to add fun and interest.

 

Ok…that was a challenge to nail down even just four things that I consider my wheelhouse. It is key to begin to recognize our wheelhouse so we can improve and grow in those areas! God is always blessed when we use the talents He places in our hearts and minds since before we were born.

 

Go for it…explore what is your wheelhouse and leave your list below!

Greatest Strength Greatest Weakness

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A sweet seven year old blondie sat stunned in her desk chair of the second grade classroom. With a huge bow in her hair perfectly color coordinated to the cute little outfit her mother handmade just for her, she couldn’t understand why her teacher snapped at her so. All she did was ask a simple question. All she did was speak her mind. A heart full of curiosity and joy almost…almost…crushed.

This sweet seven year old was me. Though I was a good student and tried my best to please my teachers what often got me in trouble was my mouth. I am a talker. Always have been. Always will be.

As years passed on, God showed me how to use my mouth, my thoughts, my encouragement to speak to others (whether in groups or individually) by sharing my heart and God’s Word. But this gift of gab, a personality strength of mine, can also be a weakness. I’m often quick to speak and slow to listen as I miss out on crucial details and points of concern that might help me better understand or communicate with others. I’m also often quick to accidentally stick my foot in my mouth as I say things before I think them through. These weakness keep me up at night when I agonize over why this mouth of mine often gets me in a bit of trouble.

I love how, as individuals, God crafted us with unique personality traits and strengths. Some of us are natural leaders. Some of us are adept at organization and can keep track of fine details. Some of us are connectors who love networking. Some of us are nurturers who look toward helping others.

Often times these strengths can be the very things that get us in trouble, though. They can be our greatest weakness. But I don’t think this is by accident. I don’t think God crafted our strengths and just happened to notice our weaknesses long after. Ever fiber or our body, ever tweak of our character, every trait of our personality (for good and for well…not so good) is by the grace of our Creator. Today, I’m choosing to embrace this weakness as an opportunity to give God the open door  to use my strength for His glory for His plan and for His purpose. The weak side of my personality trait helps to keep my pride in check if I ever allow myself to believe I have it all down pat. This weak side keeps me humble when I think I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread after saying or writing something really “profound.”

As the Apostle Paul confesses about his own weakness –– what he calls a “thorn in his flesh,” we are encouraged to embrace our God-given strengths even if they are weaknesses.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. {2 Corinthians 12:8-10}

For me, as I use my mouth, my voice, to share God’s Word and encourage others, this very strength/weakness is ever more effective when I step away from my own words and look to God to show me what to speak or how to say it. For you, in your strength/weakness, this is an opportunity to enrich your personality  in order to live out your life and your faith with more impact pointing to the One who endows us with beautiful traits and qualities.

wood wall with text

I am so grateful that the sweet little second grader didn’t allow the sharp words of one person to quell her passion for words. Though it is not easy to face the weakness, it is important to recognize it in order to give room for God to do His work through me. May we not allow our weaknesses to discourage our strengths. Take time today to seek God asking how we might allow Him to take that strength and weakness to further His Kingdom. It is through our beautifully crafted, God-given traits and qualities that we relate to others, serve others, love others.

What are your thoughts? Let’s chat…

Patience and Perspective

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I sat in the airport terminal for the last leg of a very winding and annoying trip to make it home. After hours of waiting due to an amazing amount of flight delays and cancellations, the super cute and comfortable outfit I carefully picked out so many hours before looked like a rumpled, frumpy mess.

My clothing reflected my attitude.

My patience had long since dripped down to depletion. Tempted to lash out at the airport gate employees, I stood in line waiting and observing. Somehow through my annoyed attitude, God opened my heart toward a vision of bigger perspective beyond my present lack of patience. Just because I was tired, fed up, hungry, disheveled, sweaty and impatient, this did not release me from living out God’s greatest commandments:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ {Matthew 22:36-39}

A close second to loving God with all that we have is loving others as much or more than ourselves. Those airline workers were doing their very best to accommodate some very grumpy passengers. They did not need one more person (me!) making their life miserable with my impatient attitude. I was not exempt from God’s commandment to love others in this situation.

greatest commandments

How many times do people in our life test our patience and do we look with broader perspective beyond our present annoyance and inconvenience? How do our reactions help or hinder others?

~Does my unkind attitude toward the airline gate employee who is typing on her slow computer and doing best to accommodate me and my travels hurt her heart? Is my momentary impatience more important than the feelings of another child of God?

~Is your annoyance toward your coworker who is slow at picking up the job training you are giving doing any good at the moment? Or is it chipping away at her view of you and your professed faith in the Lord?

~Are the quick, harsh words thrown out to a family member worth the temporary release of frustration?

The broader perspective of loving others and following God’s greatest commandments is that we look beyond the here and now; beyond our rushed impatience and think about the consequences of our attitude. Sometimes these consequences are unseen. We might never know the impact that our harsh words or attitude affect the ones we lash out at.

On the flip side, what would happen if we take a deep breath during our trying moment, step outside of ourselves and think twice about our reactions?  Maybe that coworker needs to hear encouraging words to get back on track with training. Maybe that sweet lady taking forever bagging our groceries had a drama filled morning and all she needs is a kind smile and a thank you. We have no idea what is going in the lives of those around us. If we take this broader perspective beyond our annoyance and impatience, we have the opportunity to love others even if it is just with a smile, a thank you, a “you are doing a great job.”

May we allow God’s love to shine through us even during our most unflattering, impatient, frazzled, ragged times of impatience. That long term impact of God working through us as we love others will override any temporary release of frustration. May we be quick to doll out patience and love rather than harsh words. May we take the broader, God-filled perspective that comes with patience.

Here is some powerful encouragement straight from THE source of patience.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. {Philippians 4:6}

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. {Galatians 6:9}

Do you have any Scripture that you look to when in need of patience? Leave a comment…let’s chat!