Each member of our office recently took the StrengthsFinder assessment as part of a team-building exercise. I have to say, I was a bit surprised by my results.My top 5 strengths were: Input, Strategic, Learner, Ideation, and Activator.
It’s not so much that those five don’t accurately describe me; they really do. (This was confirmed by my husband laughing knowingly at the descriptions of each.) What most surprised me was what wasn’t there:
1. The first four all come from the “thinking” quadrant—so much for being well-rounded!
2. As an extrovert who’s worked in full-time ministry for 19 years, it was humbling to not have any “relating” strengths.
One connection I made was that my Strengths corresponded clearly to my spiritual gifts—stuff like teaching, prophecy, discernment, etc. My husband’s seemed to as well; his top 5 Strengths were Responsibility, Analytical, Relator, Belief, and Harmony, and his spiritual gifts include leadership, shepherding, and administration.
So on to the topic at hand…
I’m curious: Do most people’s Strengths correspond to their spiritual gifts? Does God plant the seeds of our spiritual gifts at the core of our identities? Or is it more typical for people’s spiritual gifts to be completely “other” than their natural abilities, all the better to display His power?
What do you think? For those of you who've taken the StrengthsFinder assessment, which is true for you personally?
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