Getting to Know Me Part 5: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

So in the past 5 days, it's been established that I'm introverted, I love helping people, I'm probably the most likely person in the room to be taken advantage of, acquisition of information is my "thing", I'm most likely to be found with my nose in a book, I'm a wordsmith, I like to get on with a job as soon as I've been given ownership of it and I'm not very quick at making my mind up. That's the ones I agree with.

Simon, the gentleman who introduced us to Strengthsfinder last week had some stuff to say about me.  I'm not sure I agreed with all of it.  He did make it clear that I was likely to get irritated with "drama queens" and people who sweat the small stuff, because I'm all about finding the solution. He said as well, which I disagree with, that I dislike doing routine things again and again.  I have no problem with routine tasks.  In fact I create mini-challenges for myself to do it better and faster next time.  I have an inward celebration when my petty cash balances weekly. It's a challenge for me to see how quickly I can get minutes out after meetings. Mary Poppins summed it up so beautifully:

"In every task that must be done, there is an element of fun
You find the fun and - SNAP! - the job's a game!"

He said that I was solid and dependable, and also pointed out that I probably needed some level of protection, because I was easily taken advantage of.  He said the word that summed me up would probably be "humble" (I'm not sure I agree with that). He then said "this person will never, ever, ever, come into your office and ask you for a pay rise".  Which is true - I can't think of anything I'd rather do less, even if I think I deserve it!  And then he proceeded to say "this person probably does not share her toys or let you even touch her toys".  My colleagues, at that point, burst out laughing and said "her pens!!!!!" I have colour-coded pens (I know - very OCD of me! I almost sound like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory!) and it freaks me when on a Wednesday my green pen is gone, or I can't find my black pen and I know I put it in my pen holder.  So Gregan (married to Glen, whose input we'll get to just now) had a special little pen box that you can file inside a folder, which she didn't want or need any more, and so gave it to me.  It has been the best invention ever for me (after flipfiles and post-it flags), because I can lock it in my drawer!!!  But that's a bad example.  I just like doing things a particular way and since most of the other pens in the office are black ink, I really do fight to protect my purple, green and red pens!  But pretty much anything I'll share. Just maybe not the same cup at the same time. Or a plastic bottle. I didn't think I was too much of a germophobe, but I must admit, that does give me the heeby-jeebies.  He also said that I probably thought I was the most intelligent person in the room.  In looking around the room, with trained psychologists, political scientists, published authors, business owners, lawyers and b.comm students, I certainly didn't feel like the most intelligent there.  In fact, as I looked around the room, I realised that I am the only one that does not have or is not working towards a degree.  So of all Simon's statements, that one was probably the hardest to swallow, and I still don't think that way.

On the whole, though, I fared pretty well in Simon's summing up (though I did say to a couple of my colleagues "He made it sound like I hate my job and I only want more money!!!"), but there were others who went home depressed at the people they thought they were. So the following day, one of our elders, Glen, sent this amazing email, which he gave me permission to publish in this blog, and with it, I'll close this series.

From: Glen Bodington
Sent: 02 February 2012 12:03 PM
To: Newgen Admin Staff
Subject: Fearfully and Wonderfully made

Hello Wonderful and Diverse Individuals,

Yesterday Simon's StrengthFinder was quite an experience, I'm sure we all agree. Thanks Stef for initiating the time with him in an attempt to grow us and invest in us.

Last night after Simon's character assessments, which were mostly quite accurate, I got to thinking about the implications of what he said and would like you to take the following to heart when mulling your assessment over in your mind:

1) Simon isn't God

No surprise, that! Simon's job is to assess you based on the glasses through which you viewed and answered the questions. The assessment helps to point out how you see the world and make judgements, BASED ON 5 WORDS. Clearly this is not your entire make up, but does highlight the slants that we place on decision making without us even knowing. Simon isn't trying to define you, God defined you before He created you and He LOVES the way that He made you. Simon is hoping to help us explore how God wired us.

2) Strengths NOT curses

Simon started off with the disclaimer that he will try to highlight what characteristics make you who you are. The characteristics don't "make you who you are", the characteristics come out because of who you are and who God made you to be.

eg. So Simon said that I was probably "arrogant". After clarifying that, he meant "confident in what I do" because I have full confidence that what I do I do to the best of my ability. (That actually can lead to arrogance!) Confidence is good and can be a strength. Arrogance is bad, but is undoubtedly linked to confidence, just in the wrong manner. To know your strengths should give you permission (where you haven't exercised it) to use it AS GOD INTENDED. Confidence is Godly, arrogance isn't.

3) Stef FINALLY makes sense

The benefit of going through the process together is that it SHOULD open my eyes to the fact that God made you very different to me. Gift mixes are beautiful and individual. I now know that my envy of Monique's tidy top-drawer is because our wirings of "Achiever" don't naturally allow us to have an untidy drawer because we want them to be the best - that's not wrong, it's just Monique! It should free her up to want to tidy everyone's top drawer and we should all let her do it! We should be more tolerable of other people's differences and not conform them to our view of what the perfect person looks like.

4) Don't forget about Jesus!

All of what came out in the results excluded the positive and life-changing power of Jesus Christ who came to save us from ourselves! My profile would read very differently if it wasn't for Jesus - my top 5 "themes" would still be my top 5 themes, but the expression of those themes would be VERY DIFFERENT.

ACHIEVER:

without Jesus: I want to be the very best. I will climb the corporate ladder and earn my way to the top!

because of Jesus: I want to be excellent and do everything excellently, because He made me and He deserves everything of me.

LEARNER:

without Jesus: I love reading and I read a lot. I absorb information and know pretty much everything. Yes, I am superior to you and I will speak with words that are completely over your head. No, you can't teach me anything because I already know everything!

because of Jesus: I Love reading and I read a lot. God is so huge and so vast that I can never know everything - how exciting. I may know more than this guy speaking to me, but I want to remain teachable. I'll also choose to speak to you so that the language is understandable - I have no benefit in losing you in big words!

The permutations are endless!

Jesus gives us value, not our talents. Jesus gives us value, not even the fact that He made us. Jesus, alone, gives us value and meaning.

I am a work in progress - being formed into the image of Christ. I will still have the character traits that He put inside me, but I will be expressing them to the glory of God. God does want you to be you, but the you that is submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I need to know what I naturally tend toward to prevent me from being abused in that area, but also to bring glory to God in that area. I need to know what I naturally tend toward when I make a decision because my viewpoint IS VALID, just different.

This is an amazing team to work with and the gift mix that God has brought together makes it a formidable team in His hands. Let's appreciate, stimulate and applaud each others wiring that is a strength. We appreciate you for who you are and know that you add value. That's why you're on this team! And God knows the incredible futures that He has for us in this incredibly privileged place of working in NewGen.

Much love and appreciation,

Glen

You knitted me together in my mother's womb. 
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; 
   my soul knows it very well.  (Psalm 139:13-14)