Wednesday, August 22, 2007

my #1 weakness.


Details add rich color and depth to our lives (the same happens in journaling). I relish details and have an eye for the little things: fine nuances in language, beauty in the midst of chaos, the unique in everyday. Unfortunately, this strength has also been my greatest weakness.

I have been reading up on personality types, looking to learn a bit more about myself and those around me. While zeroing in on the strengths and weaknesses of my type, this jumped out at me: May be obsessive and passionate about details that may be unimportant to the big picture.

Ouch! As I look back on my life, the truth of this statement rings loudly.

For nearly a decade, I struggled with an eating disorder (which was an obsession of details) - counting calories, weighing, measuring, and scrutinizing every inch of my body. I vividly recall a time when my doctor asked me to draw a picture of myself. She'd taped a large sheet of white paper to the wall and asked me to create a mirror image of my body. After doing so, she traced the actual outline of my body on top of the drawing. As I stepped back to take a look, I was stunned! My obsession had created a very distorted and inaccurate image that looked nothing like me. I had spent so much time focusing on the details that I completely lost sight of the big picture!

Not only do I notice the details, I sometimes get hung up in them! When this happens, I have to "zoom out" a little to put things into proper perspective.

Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Journaling Ideas: What are your strengths and weaknesses? Is there an overlap? How do you stay balanced? Describe a time in your life that reflects this strength or weakness in action.

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