We each have our gifts for doing certain things well. But this also means we cannot do everything, and our rather human limitations come with many blind spots. This is the advantage of doing life with others. We get to offer each other our unique strengths and to be influenced for the better.
Of course, there’s a natural confidence that comes when we’re occupying our lane of excellence, which is as it should be. This is our glory. But wisdom and humility remind us our glory is not infinite. What’s a strength in one area might be a liability in another. This is the proverbial bull in the china shop.
On the one hand, the bull is a mighty and formidable beast – well equipped for laboring under the sun and working the land. But this glory is out of place in the delicate confines of a china shop.
To be sure, being influenced doesn’t require the bull to make his home in the china shop. To do so would be more about conformity, which is soul killing. However, the bull can remember his way of being is not the only way, and certainly not the best for every situation.
As such, he learns when to defer to the strength of others and when to allow their excellence to shape his. While he might never be “at home” in the china shop per se, it’s no longer completely foreign and he’s willing to learn from those who dwell there. And hopefully this influence goes both ways, as he shares his wisdom with those who are naturally more delicate.
Our marriage, friendships, and communities are all strengthened when we allow this mutual influence to take place.
In the end, remain confident in your strength while humbly allowing yourself to be influenced by others. This mutual influence blesses everyone.
Photo by Jasmin Wedding Photography on Pexels
