Just how unique are each of us made in the image of God?

For the last dozen years I have been a disciple of strengths-based work and understanding what I am called to do. Chances are you have not heard of strengths-based work or, at best, you are not familiar with it.  

For the uninitiated, simply put, strengths-based work means I focus on what I AM GOOD AT, not what I am poorly fit to do.

This past weekend I attended a seminar at Gateway Church in Southlake, TX, to get a better handle on my Christian identity and to my surprise, they embraced the Gallup Strengths Finder and a spiritual gifts finder hand in hand to help plot my course. 

During my time in sales with Johnson & Johnson EVERY field ride was the same- NEGATIVE. I would hear things like “You know anatomy & procedure very well,  you know instrumentation, you are very good with your customers, BUT we wish you were better at this or that.” These items on their wish list were invariably clerical in nature- minutiae if you will, that did not enhance my relationship, sales or customer service. Just one area to work on to make me a more-rounded employee. It frustrated me and my colleagues no end because at the time, no one knew any better. Today, many are still laboring under these arcane ideas. 

The Gallup organization breaks strengths into 35 areas or terms. For me, my top 5 are Context (understanding the intent), Responsibility, Belief (I HAVE to believe to move forward), Includer (I ensure others are included in discussions), WOO (Winning Others Over or persuasion). Few people have the same strengths as me in the same order. So few in fact, if we extend the list to my top 6 and looked at the nearly 7 billion people on earth, we might find 220 people with the very same strengths in the same descending order. 

Let’s look at the top 8- there would be approximately .0026 people in the entire world with the same top 8 strengths, in the same descending order as me. Statistically speaking, not even ONE person alive today!

Now, extrapolate that out to all 35 strengths….   

In case you are wondering how to figure that out, it is simple multiplication with the possible remaining variables. In other words, 35x34x33x32x31…. all the way down to 1. Does that give you a sense to the size of that number? HUGE. In astronomical terms, it would probably be measured in light years! In human terms, it is likely no one has ever existed with the exact same gifts in the exact same order. NO ONE in all of humanity's existence.

Well, that’s all well and good- so what?

Take another look at the rankings of YOUR strengths. Since there are so many variables and combinations, can you not see how unique YOU are? How amazingly designed YOU are?

Can you now see the tragedy the business world has perpetrated against us and perpetuated in trying to help us with our “weaknesses” and not focusing on the strengths God gave each of us? And what about the recent "equality" push where we seem to be eliminating gender from the equation in the hopes of making everyone equal. The paradigm is revolutionary and breathtaking. 

Rather than continually striving to be something you can NEVER BE, God has intended us to find work and even ministry using that which we are already anointed with and in which we will find fulfillment, and thus peace and a restful heart.

The other thing I found fascinating about this class was how we can use science to confirm God's Intelligent Design! Too many people have failed to understand the argument and have learned they have to choose BETWEEN God and science, but that is a topic for another conversation.

What are you waiting for? Find your strengths and change your life today!

Work really IS restful...with the right outlook!

The other day someone asked me what I would do if I won the lottery.  I responded "I would take some time with my family, line up some things I would like to sponsor and donate to and then find an opportunity for me to do what I love to do."

"You would go back to work?" they asked incredulously, so I asked what they would do. "Oh, man, I would buy a car, a new home, vacation anywhere, do nothing," etc., etc., etc.

We've all know people like this. And they are truly living an imbalanced life. Personally, I have noticed I go  stir crazy if I have 3 days off with nothing to do. I get owly and irritable and my family really notices this. I am quite aware because I don't like the way I feel. Why is that? Am I unusual? I know almost everyone says they wouldn't work, and perhaps not doing what they are doing now, but I believe they would in fact find something to do lest they would become quite miserable.

Why is that?  I believe it is abundantly clear God made our bodies and minds to work, not perpetually rest. It has been relatively well-established people are less like to be diagnosed with dementia if they are daily using their brain- reading, doing puzzles, in other words, exercising their minds. Genesis 2:15 reads God put Adam into the Garden of Eden to work it, to work it for God. It was entrusted to man by God so Adam's work of the garden would have been a form of worship.

Then we messed it up and God admonished Adam saying in Genesis 3:17-19 “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 
 

It is clear when you look at these two chapters together in context, the initial premise of work was in fact to be a joyful thing for man and was later subjugated to a chore secondary to our sinful nature. Since God had already designed man with the intent of  having him work the garden it can only mean work is supposed to fulfill a basic need and worship God.

Likewise, most people are familiar with the feeling after a good workout. I am not referring to something like a scene out of Rocky or running a marathon. I am talking about an exercise regimen or physical activity which raises the pulse a little. Our body was designed to release endorphins (Endogenous Morphine) into the bloodstream when it is exerted, or worked. This creates an euphoric sensation causing a great feeling when we are done exercising. Likewise, when we are in the right spirit, we will feel, maybe not euphoric after a day at work, but certainly more fulfilled.

God INTENDED for us to work our bodies to help keep us healthy and balanced. I am unaware of any other machine in the world which actually strengthens when it is used.

Furthermore, we have seen the side-effects of a sedentary lifestyle; today, Americans are by far the fattest and most unhealthy they have been in our history, and are more than likely in the #1 position in the world for obesity. Not something to brag about.

Even God himself "worked" 6 days before resting. Why would we be any different?  Were we not made in His likeness? But there's more to the story.

As a Christian, it is incumbent upon us to work well for our employer as a form of worship for our Father. Think about it for a second- particularly if you work in an job which seems like you are alone: You alone are the light of the Father in that dark place. Executing your job with joy and a sense of fulfillment will exemplify the role God has in mind for us.

We all dream of bigger, better jobs, with more pay, but remember the parable of the talents? Matthew 25:14-30 tells us how a master entrusted three servants with talents. 2 increased their gift while the third kept his hidden. This angered the master and he was no longer trusted with more than he already had. If he could not be trusted with a little more, how could he be trusted with a lot more blessing in his life? It is not by accident I think this is a parable on talents. In other words, the talents God has given you are not to be buried or kept hidden (see my article on the lessons to be learned from Christopher Maloney's audition on X-Factor).

When we realize we are worshiping God with our works by working with joy and passion, we are honoring Him and we should then naturally become less focused on the job and what our tasks are and more focused on worshiping God by being a good employee. This will clear our mind and open our heart to be more at rest.  Look at the three men at the top of this article- which one would you prefer to work with? Which one looks like he is a good employee?  


But there is more to the story: We have all heard of a restless heart. Someone who is impatient and seemingly ready to leave at the drop of a hat for something better. They are constantly on the hunt for the grass on the other side of the fence. I always wondered why this is and I believe it is because they have a restless heart. A heart at rest will find peace and joy in its current surroundings, a restless cannot be at peace. Thus, we see people who job hop, overeat, overspend, overdrink, be overly active, are too plugged into society to find their center and balance themselves.  Wise is the person who realizes this and sets about to make a change.

I made this change myself about a month ago. I stopped listening to my news talk radio and music and started listening to things to make me grow and learn. I can tell you from my personal experience, I am less tired at the end of the day, seem to get more done daily, and have grown more in my faith in the past few weeks than I have in the previous ten years. I felt I was in a good walk but now realize I was but a toddler stumbling along my path and now realize how much more there is for me to know and grow.

Put this to action in your life:

1. Find some time in the day to UNPLUG!  Turn off the phone, the social media, radio, tv. Be quiet, and reflect on who you are, what you have been given and whom you might be able to help. But start with yourself! Starting your day by watching the news is a great way to start looking at the world through a prism of negativity so refrain from watching/reading news.
2. Spend time listening to things that will improve you during your commute or during your lunch.
3. Start finding miracles in the small things in your life and be thankful for them, as trivial as they may seem. 
4. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, be thankful for the job you have now. Realize your boss may not be the greatest in the world, but they too are human, have ambitions and fears and could benefit from an employee like you, worshiping God by being the best employee they have ever had!

Why do we fear a challenge?

A sort of follow up to my March article on Standing up to Challenges, I began wondering on my way home this evening why we shy away from challenges. I was listening to the radio decompressing before I got home and Taylor Swift's A Love Story was playing. In one verse she says "Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel; This love is difficult but it is real", and it got me to thinking how many people I know who are separated or divorced. How many people I know who have never faced their potential and chased their dreams. Why is that?

We live in the greatest country in the world. Freedom and liberty enable us to be ANYTHING we want to be, yet remarkably few take advantage of us. I see many immigrants in the area living the American dream. They work extremely hard, many have their own business and home. They chase the dream with a vengeance, and hang on to it.

When I was separating from the service after a short stint, I was faced with one of the greatest challenges of my life. All my life all I had ever wanted was to serve my country as an officer in the military for a career. It is all I thought of. And when I was faced with a difficult decision to separate and provide for my wife and 2 children, the task was quite daunting at the beginning of the journey.

Several colleagues and I went to a recruiter's informational meeting to see what options we had available. He was strong, convicted and very good at what he does. He suggested we read his book on PCS'ing to Corporate America. After the meeting, I conferred with a couple of friends and wondered about my meeting with him the following afternoon. "Don't worry" they said- "just go". The decision to go or postpone weighed heavily on my mind.

The next morning I phoned the recruiter and asked for an appointment on his next visit in a couple of months. He of course thanked me for my courtesy, and we went on with our day.

The next day I asked my buddies how the interview with the recruiter went. I heard all kinds of excuses: "He was arrogant", "He was an &**hole", "A jerk" etc. Predictably, everyone with these comments was not accepted by him to be a candidate for his recruiting agency.

Coincidence? I think not. You see, Roger only accepted on average 12% of the applicants. Not because they were extraordinarily talented, but because they were committed to the career change and were taking it very seriously. They demonstrated this commitment by reading his book and many others, and learning how little they knew about themselves and how to interview. Under Roger's leadership we became experts of ourselves and rose to the challenge. His course was rigorous and demanding, but deep inside my heart I knew by following his advice and direction and dedicating myself to his plan everything was going to be alright, and that is how I was able to lead my family during one of the most stressful periods of our lives.

My friends took the easy way out. They chose not to try to learn about themselves, and if they don't know themselves, how can they convey their best qualities to a prospective employer and land the big job? They can't.

When I landed my job with a cutting edge medical company selling devices to surgeons, my friends called me "lucky". That infuriated me.
God had given me a path, just like them, but unlike them, I chose the path less traveled and succeeded where they had failed. I suppose it is easier to point the finger at someone else and call it luck, but it was highly offensive nonetheless, and I am not one to get worked up about stuff like that.

Along the same lines, many people accuse my wife and me of being lucky for the relationship we have. We have been together since we were 16, and have never been with anyone else. What we have IS special, and I think we are indeed blessed to have each other (though I am DEFINITELY getting the better part of the bargain!), but the marriage thing has not always been a bed of roses. We have had ups and downs. We have fought. We have disagreed about things, but we have worked them all out. We trust each other implicitly, knowing the other would never do anything to harm what we have.

This is rare, I know.

But the point is the work and the investments we make into our relationship. While I am not always a teddy bear to be around, I do my best to leave my frustrations at work (or wherever they come from) and not take them out on the family. I am not always successful, but I try. My wife loves me for who I am, and she realizes the grumpy guy is NOT who I am. She looks past this inadequacy. How she put up with me when I was in the service and much more volatile is a mystery to me. (I told you I was getting the best bargain here)

Nothing worthwhile is free or easy, and if it is, it is most definitely not worth much to you.

People use all kinds of things to fill a void in their lives- shopping, home decor, cars, vacations, clothes, food, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, sex. The list goes on and on. Each of these "addictions" as many are becoming known are nothing more than the human spirit, seeking more pleasure, being allowed to spiral out of control by someone not working to improve themselves. And if they are not willing to improve themselves for their own benefit, what chance does their spouse have of motivating them?


The bottom line: We fear a challenge because it makes us uncomfortable, we feel we have too much at risk or don't see enough payoff for the challenge. When we try to tie a monetary value to everything in our life, we devalue that which is most sacred- the love of our Father, our family and our neighbors. When we take our eye off the ball and focus on the material things in our lives, we lose sight of the greatest commandment and subsequently true joy. We Americans feel if we can have this vacation, raise, promotion, car or house we will truly be happy. Then, there is one MORE thing we want, then another. When does it stop? Never.

Truthfully, are you really happier today with all you material possessions or were you happier when you were a simple child and found wonder and joy in most things? Sadly, most of us will answer no. We have supplanted a simple life with gadgets and stress trying to procure more and more stuff we will leave behind when we die.

Trust me on this one- take a trip somewhere away from the advertising that surrounds us today. Turn off the t.v., radio and Internet and spend a couple of days away from it all and see what you start to think about. You may find yourself looking at yourself and wondering how to change yourself for the better or to have a closer relationship with God. If not, worst case, you end up with a relaxing few days away from the constant pressure of in your face marketing.

Go ahead and try it- I dare you!