MONDAY THOUGHTS: KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS

I thought, as I watched the praise dancer’s jerky, bizarre gyrations, “You can’t TELL her she isn’t Judith Jamison.” 

The words “fit” and “conniption” came to mind, too. 

I think she expected applause. 

She certainly was using everything in her flailing arsenal— including an Elaine Benes/Cliff Huxtable-esque dance move. 

Was THIS the “crazy praise” the Bible foretold, or just more of the foolishness that bombards our phone and computer screens?

Everyone watching seemed perplexed, horrified, and amused. Why was the spectacle even allowed? 

Had the bride and groom been ambushed? 

Was the “dancer” a relative? 

Was it a thoughtless joke? 

Had the couple lost a bet? 

Was an actual dancer in attendance, who would have brought the dignity the ceremony deserved? 

What goes undone or horribly awry, when we don’t allow wisdom to prevail, and abandon what we’re actually GOOD at, in favor of what someone else does?

People are deciding they have particular skills, insisting that those skills be visited upon others, and wondering why few are applauding.

Sometimes the frustration from the tepid responses (or laughter) is a result of coveting the skill of others, and deluding oneself into thinking one actually possesses equal, or greater skill—and a RIGHT to demonstrate it. 

“I can do that, too!” may be a positive affirmation, but is it true only in your own mind? 

Why not be honest? 

Why not confess, 

“I want to do that. I WISH I could do that, but only if I can do that WELL.” 

Platforms are everywhere. 

You can even pay to play— which is what many resort to when desired doors don’t, or won’t allow access. 

Someone will always put you on, but is it to promote what you do well, take your money, or ridicule what you do poorly—and then profit from your humiliation? 

Every day, social media gives us all a good laugh at the expense of those whose sheer nerve and delusion are eclipsing their better judgment. 

Even church services are sources of comedic, and embarrassing entertainment these days. 

So many organizations fail to assess their readiness, or monitor the quality of their own output. They employ irresponsible camera persons, and we get to see as one person after another butchers a song, mangles a sermon, or loses their footing as they’re hamming it up for the cameras. 

Yes. Art is subjective, but I digress...

It’s okay to defer to those who actually know what they’re doing. 

Don’t be so blinded by the shine you think someone else is getting (for what they can actually do), that you foray into lanes in which you cannot effectively maneuver. 

Sometimes we don’t want to admit it, but better DOES exist. It’s a shame to dismiss it in favor of mediocrity that makes a mockery of what’s sacred, brings judgment (and sanity) into question, and encourages MORE mediocrity. 

Don’t minimize or ignore your own strengths by chasing the strengths of others. 

Acknowledge the time, energy, effort, skill, and even anointing, that is the foundation of the good, the relevant, and the excellent. 

Exercise that muscle that allows you to find and encourage the good outside of yourself. 

Applaud and celebrate all things well done, and don’t lie about mediocrity— even your own. 

The heart, I’ve read, is desperately wicked. “From the heart” might not be the great and humble defense that one thinks it is. Perhaps that heart, full of envy, jealousy, and covetousness, is the primary producer of the ridiculousness and mediocrity we now experience, allow, and endure, in places where it doesn’t have to exist.