When I was back in grad school, I had an older professor who admitted, “I used to pray that God would protect me from my weaknesses. Now I pray that God would protect me from my strengths.” The older I get, the more I understand what he meant. It’s hard not to let good things go to extremes. Outgoing people can turn into conversation-dominating people. Compassionate people can become cowards who never have confrontational conversations. Organized people can be picky and pushy, and adaptable people can be unreliable and flaky. So how do you stay balanced, using your unique gifts while not letting those blessings become a curse?
This question might help—Am I selfless? Selfless people (1) use their strengths to serve others and (2) know they need the help of other people’s strengths. For example, if you are a hardworking, box-checking, productive person, you will ask yourself, “How can I use this gift to help my family/my church/my community?” and, “Whose help do I need to make sure I am doing the most important things instead of just my own things?” Selflessness makes the body of Christ fit together as we all enjoy the selfless love of Jesus, our Head.
“So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5).
