It’s been said that we’re in the wrong room when we’re consistently the smartest one present. But perhaps it’s best not to consider intelligence so one-dimensional. On the one hand, we should be the smartest one present concerning our unique gifts. At the same time, we should still recognize we’re in a room full of geniuses in their own right.
To be sure, there’s a place for humility and not walking into a room as a know-it-all. But we’re prone to find ourselves very lonely when we’re looking for someone to match or surpass our genius exactly. Of course, it’s good to have peers to talk shop with and to challenge each other. But even here we have our own unique excellence – a glory to reveal that’s all our own.
As such, it’s only right that we’re the smartest one in the room concerning the gift God has given us. It’s why we’re in the room – to offer a perspective that no one else can give.
All the same, it’s a mistake to assume our uniqueness makes us superior. While the eyes are made for seeing and the nose is made for smelling, one is not better than the other. And both offer their genius to benefit the body as a whole. The same is true for us and our various gifts.
We freely offer what we have to bless others. And we don’t hold back in false humility because we fear showing off. Certainly, we keep our pride in check. But this is done in part by simply remembering the glory of those in the room with us. They have a unique glory to reveal inasmuch as we do. And we miss the good God has for us when we deny our glory or theirs.
In the end, it’s okay to be the smartest one in the room in offering your unique excellence. Just remember you’re still in a room full of geniuses in their own right.
