Believe it or not

Strength #1: Belief

My "top strength" is listed as Belief, but what exactly does that mean?  Belief in what?  When I saw this I the first thing that came to my mind was, "Why wouldn't this be anyone's top strength," which goes to show how much belief is one of my strengths.  Let me explain, according to Strenghts Finders 2.0 people with a strong Belief theme "have certain core values that are enduring."  My beliefs and values shape my life and, because of them, my idea of success is often different from others.  This is pretty evident in the line of work I'm in.

If you don't know me well, I'll give a little history on myself.  I have a college education in a pretty interesting field, Animal Sciences as well as Applied Economics and Business Marketing.  I'm currently working for the largest evangelical non-profit in the world, not really using the Animal Sciences degree (except while around the lunch table, we tend to talk about all sorts of farm animals!).  I'm following my beliefs.  I feel that my belief in God and my relationship with Jesus Christ is more important than formally using my 6 years of college education.  While I do find real value in my education, I feel that by increasing the spread of the Gospel among college students and around the world is just MORE important.  Sure, I use my education serving on the operations team (I've spent many hours going through evaluations, thinking about how to market different areas of our ministry, etc.) however, it's not like I'm working for an agricultural industry looking to maximize their profits so that I can move up in the company and make more money.  I could do that, but when I worked selling eggs to grocery stores (just starting out) I felt like I was missing my bigger purpose, to see others know Jesus.

This shapes who I am.  I want to see others grow.  I want to see others learn about God and find peace and understanding.  I want to use the talents I have to pursue what I view as important.  While this is a great strength to have, it can also be a struggle when it comes to some of my interactions with others.

For example, when we go to campus to share the Gospel, I often can't understand how someone couldn't believe in God, because He's such an important part of my life.  I also can't understand how someone can't want to use their talents and abilities to bring God praise, honor and glory!  When I'm passionate about something it's hard to try and stop me from going after it, which can bring issues between me and others if they don't feel that that value/thing isn't worth what I think it is.

Without my Belief I wouldn't be moving forward.

To be honest, I'm glad this is my strongest strength.  It helps me drive forward in my purpose in life: To Bring God Glory!

How about you?  Do you think you have Belief as one of your strengths?
How do you see Belief play out in my life, your life and/or our relationship?

I'd really love to hear your answers to these questions!  :-)

Katie Q.