I sit here basking in the pride that I have from three long days of recreating my website. I am incredibly happy with how it looks and functions! But then I reminded myself that an 8-year-old could have done it in about 6 hours! Perhaps not. With my “eye for design” and all things aesthetic, coupled with a mild case of OCD, I must give myself a break here. There were many trivial things that had to be made “just right.” Of course, nobody apart from myself will notice these subtle nuances, but that is okay. I am who I am (said in my best Popeye voice).
This made me think…one of my favorite pastimes…everyone has these unique gifts and talents, and they can be quite cumbersome! Where we often fail to communicate, or even understand, is when we are struggling to achieve with our set of gifts, others are, as well, and we have a tough time seeing, let alone understanding, the gifts that someone else must endure. Of course, mine are gifts while yours are simply “shortcomings.” Does the plant on that desk need water??? 🙂
That’s the crux of the biscuit right there. A (very) few people recognize and support our talents. Most people (those who really don’t know us) see those same things as un-talents. And who do we believe? The majority, of course. 4 out of 5 dentists…am I right? It’s always about the numbers!
As I think about all the people that I don’t know very well, my coworkers, the strangers at the grocery. You know, the people that I spend most of my time with. I need to have faith that what I see as a shortcoming, an un-talent, a general lack of whatever, is someone else utilizing their unique set of gifts. I can’t always see it or understand it. Just like they can’t see or understand mine. I need to remember that tolerance is born of faith and judgment is born of haste. I’ve rambled enough…suffice to say, I know that if I expect people to be tolerant of me, I must first be tolerant of them.