If you understand your greatest strength - really understand it so as to understand yourself in it - then, you will also understand that this greatest strength of yours is also your greatest weakness.
Examples of strengths: compassion for others; abililty to lead others; ability to endure loneliness; ability to reason; ability to feel deeply; openness to the moment.
All of these "strengths" have a shadow side, which is to say they arise from the light places within us, but can arise and tie into the dark places as well. Compassion arises from an ability to identify with and understand the emotions of others, but for a person whose character has gone bad, this ability to understand others emotionally can be used to manipulate and con others. It can also develop into a need to needed, which is a strange way of being controlled by others but also controlling them by keeping them needy. The ability to lead others, though it can fill a great need in groups and in society, can become a dark power if put in the service of bad and selfish goals. It can also isolate a person to the extent that they no longer listen to or respect others. The ability to feel deeply can arouse one to action, but it can also paralyze one and prevent action. Those who are sensitive to others' feelings, are generally pretty sensitive to their own feelings. Emotional paralysis can set in when we get too absorbed in our own feelings. Openness to the moment can allow a person to enjoy and understand what is right before their eyes and in their hearing; but, if not combined with commitment to a longer course of goals, openness to the moment can result in a string of emotional binges and the failure of commitment.
The ability to figure things out through thinking is a great ability, however, there are some things you can't figure out through thinking, such as your deepests commitments; they are matters of the heart and require some real risk-taking to "figure out." Jesus first said to his disciples: "follow me." After that he began to engage them in discussion and trying to think things out. Those who listened to Jesus and were interested and who were trying to figure it all out in their heads always figured out some reason that they couldn't follow him - at least, not just yet. One had to take care of his business; another take care of his older father; another makes sense of it all intellectually. Whatever it was, and whatever it is, there is always some good reason "not to take action." And, so this strength of intellect when not expressed outwardly in action, builds an internal prison: one long course of figuring out why it makes more sense to do nothing than to do something.
When I think of these various and other personal strengths that people tend to have, it seems like the real key to tapping into the positive is a genuine commitment to other people and the courage to act upon that commitment. [As Augustine said to the young convert who 'just wasn't feeling the faith:' "do what you know you should do, and the feelings will follow in due course."] That means an inward conviction of the value of others which finds expression in outward action for others. But, in these others I should include animals other than humans and the environment as well. A genuine commitment to creatures and the creation inwardly which leads to outward action in conformity with this inward commitment also brings a human being on a good path and allows one's personal strengths to develop for good and not for evil. And, I mean good as that which enhances life, and evil as that which distorts and twists and destroys life. When we don't allow our strengths to be expressed in helping someone or something outside of ourselves, then the shadow side of our characteristic arises, causing trouble sometimes for others who deal with us or causing trouble for ourselves.
Lions are meant to dominate other animals and find prey. A lion who is dominated by other animals and fails to find prey dies. There is such a thing as "sinning against your nature." When a human being who is deeply concerned for others and has abilities to help others, well, when that person in fact applies these abilities to carrying out this inward concern, then that person really lives (does what is in accord with his nature). When a person has intellectual abilities to invent machines that ease burdens in this world, and when that person applies these abilities to inventing machines -say an x-ray machine or an electric wheel chair - then that person lives. When a man whose mind is flooded with beautiful poems finds a way to express that beauty to others, that man lives. When a person who has a deep gift of patience with those who have difficulty learning shares that patience with those in need and gives them hope to learn, that person lives. True life is awakened inside of us, but it is incomplete until it finds expression in some action, often some meaningful interaction with other human beings.
Think of times in your life when you were engaged in something and you really felt the best - felt like all of your internal tensions were released because you were truly engaged in something that was good and right for you.
When you sin against your nature, you fight against and tear down yourself. Of course, we all have things we aren't too good at. I am not well organized with paperwork, files, etc. For me to be a little messy in that way is to sin with (not against) my nature. But, I am generally open to a variety of ideas and views, so that when I become very ungracious and judgmental of others views, then I am sinning against my nature. It doesn't hurt me inside to be a little messy with my files; but, it really does hurt me inside - even tears me down - when I become ungracious and start condemning of others. I tend to be very committed to my friends and family. If I fail in my commitments to friends or family, it tears me down on the inside. If a person is the kind of person you can count on, and they become a person you can't count on, that person is probably sinning against their nature. I am also not very good at meeting new people at social events. If I fail at that, it is not that big a deal. However, I am very good at meeting an individual in trouble and hearing them out and giving some decent advice. If I fail at that, it is a big deal.
If I could manage to get myself into some line of work where I wouldn't deal with people who had trouble, and if I could get myself into some office where I could sit and carry on without being interrupted by the problems of others; well, it might seem peaceful for a while, but pretty soon, it would start to tear me down inside, because I would be living a lie. I am here to deal with problems, the problems of people. That is who I am. My mind works to solve problems, to apply some insight greater than my own to help relieve burdens that I also share in this world.
This life is not meant to be a picnic, though it is great that we get to have picnics along the way. No, there is work to do - work that comes from within and flows into action. There will be a day when I can't do the work I am doing today. But, I hope that there will always be some work I can do. Work is a gracious word for me. Because I am not really alive until I meet the challenges of "work." I am something that "happens." The human self is not something static that dwells within us, encapsulated in our bodies. No, the human self is something dynamic that ebbs and flows like the waves of the ocean, and it "happens" in the act of meeting the world's needs with who we really are - co-workers (I hesitate to use this term) of a Spirit much greater than anything we can dream or imagine.
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