January 6. Who on Your Team is Hot or Cold?

As a leader, what are you excellent at? I ask not that you brag but really reflect what your life has allowed you to develop, and others would even recognize you for this ability? You might be so good, that when you are doing this, that time evaporates from your perception.

This activity does not even seem to use your energy or make you tired. In fact, it might even seem to create energy within you when you do it. When you are doing things like this, I call it a unique ability. Dan Sullivan has written much about it.

You are more than just competent or good in this realm. On the other side of the spectrum are things that, to be blunt, we are incompetent at. Being incompetent at something is not a bad thing although you might have learned or been exposed to the thought that it is bad.

I remember in school that being incompetent or getting a failing grade was something that I was expected to work on. One could even be chastised, looked down upon when this occurred. But being incompetent is not necessarily a bad thing. You are not bad when this occurs, you are just incompetent at it.

Are you a really bad thief, so much so that you could be considered to be incompetent at it? Would you consider it a blessing to be a great thief? I hope you never become really good at being a thief. Do you have something that you can identify with incompetence?

Identifying what we are good at and bad at can help us to grow and our team to grow. Which will your team focus on this week, unique ability, or incompetence? It is not uncommon that we will overlook the progress that can be made when we make steps forward by stopping what is merely good or change incompetence.

To do so might start with dropping the stigma associated with incompetence. 

It seems to me that God can call us to bless others through our unique abilities. We can draw others as well as ourselves to him when we use those abilities. But what about our incompetence? Does God use those as well to glorify him?

I think that he can, but it might just be that we as Christian brothers and sisters are called to help one another the most by sharing our unique abilities with one another. In many places in the Bible spiritual gifts are discussed.

We have been given these unique gifts and to those that have discovered them, they are like the unique abilities discussed earlier. My incompetence is someone else's unique abilities. The shepherd boy David had the ability to use a sling like no other.

The Bible is full of unique ability. Moses was not a great speaker, but Aaron came along to pick up that task. I think that God can work through them both. The Bible tells us in Genesis, that we will have planting and harvesting, summer and winter, warm and cold, and day and night.

I think we have unique abilities and incompetence as well. They seem to be opposites. How might you plan to use the unique abilities more and the incompetence less in your faith journey? Who in your sphere of influence has an ability you are failing to use?

Where can you acquire a resource to overcome What is the first thing that you can do about it in the next seven days?

Let us pray, Jesus, I know you to be my Savior. You shared with the world the unique ability to take on our sins. You have the unique ability as well to share the love of the Father through miracles of the heart and of healing.

We ask today that you help us to remove layers that have our abilities covered up. They can be hidden and buried to keep us from sharing our best for God's glory. Make this day be one of discovery and the week be one of finding your treasure in us.

Launch us on a personal treasure hunt of gifts and abilities today. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen,