Strengths & Weaknesses

The last 4-5 weeks have been interesting. I am going through a Visioneering Mentorship offered by one of my photography instructors. It's all about the business of being a photographer and about how to start a photography business. It's been a whole lot different than I expected. I have had to do a ton of soul searching to find out 'who I am'. If you ever want something that stretches your mind and dissects your heart--try to figure out who you are and who you were made to be. My brain has hurt worse in the last couple of weeks than I think it ever hurt while I was taking algebra. :-/ Anyway, moving on.

I am Brittany.

I am a photographer.

But I am first a person.

That person has been equipped with a special set of talents to bring glory to God.

What are my talents? That's tough to figure out. Harder still is discovering some talents and seeing how awfully I have neglected them. how I have not been using those things to bring God glory. It's humbling really. I have been discovering that a lot of my problem is this-- I have been focusing for most of my life on bettering myself. Getting rid of all the flaws, fixing all the mistakes, making sure each emotion is in perfect place. But I have not looked at the good things God has given me. You see when God makes us He doesn't just plop us on earth with all kinds of weaknesses to change for the rest of our lives. He also plops us on the earth with all kinds of strengths we can use to bless others and bring Him glory.  Instead of thanking Him and using the talents He gave me to bring Him glory I was constantly harping on the things I didn't have. There is an incredible amount of freedom in knowing and living in your strengths and an incredible amount of beauty in what God has given each of us. So I guess my message to you today is-- find at least 2 of your strengths and in the next week or two, find ways to use the strengths to bless God and to bless others. Make the world a more beautiful place by living from your strengths whatever they may be.

[disclaimer: I realize this 'message' could be taken and run with. And that running would be in a direction quite the opposite of what I meant to cause people to run to.  I do not believe that we should totally disregard our weaknesses any more than I believe that we should totally disregard our strengths. There really does need to be a balance there. It's not about being 'egotistical' or proud or whatever other word you might want to call it. It's about being realistic. Don't just focus on the bad, look on the good as well.]