March 7

For Today's Forward Day by Day reading, Click Here.

As you may be doing now, I am still contemplating what some of the other tools might be in my bag. This seems like a very self-serving, self-centered, boastful exercise. But hopefully identifying some of these strengths will give you, and me, a better idea about how God has equipped us for our life's mission.

These are a few of the things I feel are my talents, or gifts, things I like or possibly things I might be good at doing, or that come naturally in some way. Again, please don't read this and think how much I must love myself. Just as a matter of exercise, I think writing these qualities down may help me better know what resources are lurking in my bag. I'm sure your list looks a lot different, and hopefully a lot longer!

Things I think I might be good at doing, things I like, or things that are perhaps natural gifts/tendancies:

Empathy/Sympathy
Listening
Learning
Loving on people
Giving gifts
Creativity
Music
Writing (some days)
Processing
Being respectful
Being helpful
Seeing the good in people
Being inspired by others' ideas
Pragmatic
Hard-working
Spur-of-the-moment-grabber
Presence
Team player
Good follower of instructions
Humble
Self-depricating
Tender-hearted
Introspective
People-lover
Feeler

This is a first stab at the list of tools in my bag, potentially. And still, I look into my purse and see a whole lot of other junk floating around. At first glance, these items look to be weaknesses. Perhaps those "negative qualities" skulking in the corners of my bag might include:

Hastiness
Fly-of-the-handleness
Judgementalism
Snarkiness
Scrappiness
Irritation
Impatience
Grrrrr-ness


...and a whole slew of darker descriptives that I dare not even write about for fear they may define me! Makes me wonder though, could our shortcomings or "areas of improvement tools" actually be helpful doo-dads when handled properly and in the right situation?

Not sure. So maybe for now, we leave our weaknesses where they are.