Tree-climbing Fish

I have spent more time than I care to admit trying to be a tree-climbing fish, as in the Albert Einstein quote: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

God has built into each of us a personal passion - an inner dynamo that starts humming and energizing when we are doing that passion. "Sandra" means "helper of mankind", and guess what my passion is? Nothing energizes me faster than seeing a need and being able to meet it, from a physical need to giving a word of affirmation or encouragement. On the other hand, if you need to me to sit down with a spreadsheet of numbers and check them for accuracy, I could do it, but it would just drain me, being afraid I might make a mistake. 

Am I more or less worthy because I love helping people but would make a lousy accountant? What is so bad about admitting that I am not good at x, y and z? It is normal to not be good at some things - in fact, it allows me to specialize and be an individual. Unfortunately, we have become a nation of generalists - people who are barely adequate  in a lot of things, but don't excel at anything enough to make a difference.

By choosing to be so broad in our interests, we are short selling the influence we might have had if we had allowed ourselves to specialize a bit more. What if I am  so busy trying to prove I can do everything that I don't have the time or energy or creativity left to accomplish the specific assignments that God has for me to do? Ouch.

Making choices means giving up one thing for another - tradeoffs, if you will. Let's give each other permission to NOT be good at something, to cut others some slack - and while you're are at it, cut yourself some as well.