I've always been fascinated by the things people can do.
Some people can walk into a room full of strangers and immediately make friends.
Some people can look at a complicated financial statement and make sense of it.
Some can take a broken machine apart, spread the pieces across a table, and somehow put it back together.
And some people can take a completely disorganized room and turn it into something beautiful and functional.
The interesting thing is, I enjoy doing all of those things.
I have a lot of different interests and aptitudes. I've learned to understand financial statements, figure out mechanical problems, organize systems, and connect with people.
Now, that doesn't mean I was always good at all of them.
I was painfully shy when I was younger. Learning to walk into a room full of strangers and find something we have in common was something I developed over time.
And although I enjoy organizing, especially helping other people get organized, finding the time to organize my own things can be another matter entirely.
But here's something I've learned.
Being capable of doing something and enjoying doing it are two entirely different things.
Ask me to spend eight hours doing the same repetitive task, like working on an assembly line, and I would probably lose my mind.
Not because I couldn't do the work.
But because I'd be bored.
I like figuring things out. I like learning. I like solving problems.
Once I've mastered something, I'm usually looking for the next challenge.
But there are people who genuinely enjoy the very things I would find tedious.
And that's what I want to talk about today.
God Didn't Give Everybody the Same Gifts
The older I get, the more I realize something.
God didn't create everybody with the same abilities, interests, or personalities.
And I don't think He intended to.
Some people are wonderful at developing new ideas.
Others are exceptional at taking an idea and making it work.
Some people love variety.
Others enjoy the satisfaction of doing something consistently and doing it well.
Some people are natural encouragers.
Others have an extraordinary ability to recognize details the rest of us overlook.
And some people can patiently perform a task over and over again, maintaining the same level of care and attention.
I admire that.
Because while I may be capable of doing the task, I might not enjoy doing it every day.
Something that drains one person may be exactly what gives another person satisfaction.
That doesn't make either person better.
It makes them different.
A Lesson From the Montessori Classroom
One of the reasons I've loved Montessori education for so many years is that it recognizes something we sometimes forget.
Children are individuals.
They develop at different rates.
They have different interests.
They learn in different ways.
One child may be fascinated by numbers.
Another may spend an extraordinary amount of time working with language materials.
Another may be drawn to art.
Another may love building things.
And another may spend the morning carefully washing a table because there's something deeply satisfying about doing it well.
We don't expect every child to become equally interested in every activity at exactly the same time.
We provide opportunities.
We observe.
We guide.
We encourage children to develop skills they haven't mastered.
But we also pay attention to what naturally captures their interest.
Because those interests often tell us something about how that child is growing.
And sometimes I wonder:
Why do we understand that children are individuals, then expect adults to be good at everything?
Being Different Doesn't Mean Being Less
I was not particularly athletic growing up.
Actually, that's probably putting it kindly.
I was tall, which apparently led people to believe I should be good at basketball.
Being tall and being coordinated, however, are two completely different things.
I discovered that fairly early.
But I could read.
And I loved to read.
I was reading chapter books when I was very young, and books opened an entire world to me.
Now imagine if someone had decided my value depended entirely on how well I could throw a basketball.
That would have been unfortunate.
Fortunately, life offers considerably more opportunities than basketball.
We all have areas where we shine.
And we all have areas where we struggle.
Struggling with one thing doesn't cancel out your ability to do something wonderful somewhere else.
I think children need to hear that.
And I think quite a few adults do too.
You Can Learn Things That Don't Come Naturally
Here's something else I believe strongly.
Just because something doesn't come naturally doesn't mean you can't learn to do it.
I know that from experience.
I was shy as a child.
Today, I can walk into a room of strangers, start a conversation, and usually discover something we have in common.
That didn't happen because my personality magically changed overnight.
It happened because I learned.
And that's one of the wonderful things about being human.
We're not limited to the abilities we were born knowing how to use.
We can develop new skills.
We can overcome fears.
We can learn things we once thought were beyond us.
We can become better at something through practice and determination.
But there's an important distinction.
Just because you can learn to do something doesn't mean you have to make it your life's work.
You can become competent at something without making it your passion.
And you can appreciate someone else's talent without needing to develop that same talent yourself.
You Still Have to Do Things You're Not Good At
Now, before anybody gets too excited, I'm not suggesting that we simply stop doing anything we don't enjoy.
Wouldn't that be nice?
There are responsibilities we have whether we're naturally good at them or not.
We still have to pay the bills.
Keep our commitments.
Learn new skills.
Do difficult things.
And occasionally deal with paperwork.
Apparently, paperwork is part of being an adult.
But there's a difference between developing a skill because it's necessary and spending your entire life trying to become someone you're not.
We can improve in our weaker areas.
We should.
But we don't have to measure our worth by whether we become equally talented at everything.
Sometimes the wiser approach is to learn enough to handle the responsibility well.
And sometimes it's to recognize that someone else can do it much better—or simply enjoys doing it more.
That's Why We Need Other People
I've been thinking about how much we depend on people with abilities different from our own.
A school needs teachers who understand children.
It needs people who can organize schedules.
People who can manage finances.
People who can maintain buildings.
People who can communicate with families.
People who can recognize problems.
People who can create solutions.
People who can take an idea and turn it into something that actually works.
No one person has unlimited time, energy, or ability to do all of those things equally well.
And that's a good thing.
The Bible uses the illustration of a body with many parts.
A hand isn't a foot.
An eye isn't an ear.
Each has a different purpose.
And the body works because those parts work together.
I think that's one of the most practical descriptions of teamwork I've ever read.
We weren't created to be identical. We were created to contribute.
The challenge is learning to appreciate the gifts other people bring instead of expecting everyone to think and work exactly the way we do.
I'm still learning that one.
Be Careful What You Call a Weakness
Here's another thought.
Sometimes what looks like a weakness in one situation can become a strength in another.
A child who asks a thousand questions may be exhausting in a classroom where everyone is expected to sit quietly.
But that curiosity may eventually lead to discoveries nobody else thought to make.
A person who notices every little detail may seem overly particular to someone who prefers the big picture.
But that same attention to detail may prevent an expensive mistake.
Someone who is cautious may frustrate the person who wants to move quickly.
But that caution may be exactly what keeps a good idea from becoming a bad decision.
And someone who is constantly coming up with new ideas may drive the organized people around them a little crazy.
I wouldn't know anything about that.
The point is, we have to be careful about deciding that someone's natural way of thinking is wrong simply because it's different from ours.
Sometimes the very thing that frustrates us is also the thing we need.
Your Challenge for the Week
This week, I want you to think about three questions.
First: What comes naturally to you?
Not necessarily what you've been praised for.
What do you enjoy doing?
What seems easier for you than it does for other people?
What kinds of problems do you actually like solving?
Second: What are you constantly criticizing yourself for not being good at?
Is it something you genuinely need to improve?
Or are you comparing yourself to someone whose gifts are simply different?
Third: Whose strengths could complement yours?
Maybe there's someone in your family.
Someone at work.
Someone in your church.
Someone you could learn from.
Someone whose abilities you haven't fully appreciated.
Instead of comparing, look for ways to work together.
A Lesson I'm Still Learning
I've spent much of my life helping children discover what they're capable of becoming.
And the older I get, the more I realize that adults need that same encouragement.
We need people who recognize our potential.
People who help us grow.
People who challenge us when we need challenging.
And people who remind us that our differences aren't necessarily defects.
I don't believe God made a mistake when He gave us different personalities, interests, and abilities.
I think He knew exactly what He was doing.
Now, that doesn't mean we get to use our personalities as excuses.
We still have to grow.
We still have to take responsibility.
We still have to learn how to work with people who are different from us.
But maybe growth doesn't always mean becoming better at everything.
Sometimes growth means becoming better at being the person God created you to be.
And learning how to appreciate the people He created differently.
Final Thought
You don't have to be the best at everything.
You don't have to think like everyone else.
You don't have to have the same talents.
The same interests.
The same personality.
Or the same path.
Learn what you need to learn.
Work on the things that need improving.
Take responsibility for your weaknesses.
But don't spend your entire life overlooking your strengths because you're focused on what somebody else does better.
And don't overlook someone else's gifts because they don't do things the way you would.
We all have something to contribute.
We all have something to learn.
And we all need one another.
The goal isn't to become good at everything.
The goal is to become faithful with what God has given you—and willing to learn from what He's given someone else.
So this week, instead of asking:
"Why can't I be more like that person?"
Try asking:
"What has God given me to work with, and how can I use it to make a difference?"
You might be surprised by the answer.
References
- Sharma, Robin. The Everyday Hero Manifesto. HarperCollins, 2021.
- 1 Corinthians 12:12–27.
- Romans 12:4–8.
- 1 Peter 4:10.
- Psalm 139:13–14.
- Ephesians 2:10.
- Matthew 25:14–30.
Remember... life isn't changed by one big decision. It's changed by the little decisions we make every day. Today's small choices become tomorrow's legacy. So choose wisely, love deeply, keep learning, and keep growing. Until next Monday, have a wonderful week... and keep building your legacy, one small choice at a time.