It was explained to me once that there are windshield people and rear-view mirror people. Windshield people are always looking forward, ready for the next adventure or possibility. Rear-view mirror people look behind, checking what has gone before. Here is the thing. To drive a car, you actually need to do both. (Though to be fair, the windshield is bigger than the rear-view mirror for a reason.)
In planning 2013, what if we took a rear-view mirror sized moment to look back at 2012 with a few questions?
What were the moments that truly gave you joy?
When did you know you were fulfilling your hearts calling?
When did you feel energized even though the task was hard?
What were the moments that best celebrated the team?
Which parts of the work made your team feel empowered?
Where did they shine?
When did you see them smile the most?
When did you feel 'I was made for this'?
Where did you experience true flow in the work?
Which parts energized you enough that the mundane didn't matter?
Tom Rath in his book, Strengths Finder, writes: "At its fundamentally flawed core, the aim of almost any learning program is to help us become who we are not. If you don't have natural talent with numbers, you're still forced to spend time in that area to attain a degree. If you're not very empathic, you get sent to a course designed to infuse empathy into your personality. From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to our shortcomings than to our strengths." Rath goes on to write, "This might sound like a heretical point of view--especially for those of us who grew up believing the essential American myth that we could become anything we wanted. Yet it's clear from Gallup's research that each person has greater potential for success in specific areas, and the key to human development is building on who you already are."
What if in planning for 2013, you ignored the usual questions about "improvement" and instead used joy as a litmus test for discovering your strengths? Rather than planning to shore up areas of weakness, your plan might build on platforms of strength.
No church can become everything for everyone (and trying can be an exercise in mediocrity), so why not find the joy-filled uniqueness and pursue it to its fullest. Who knows, you may not only find yourself uncovering your church's unique Imago Dei, you may find your own as well.
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