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March 12, 2009
Appreciating the Uniqueness of Others
For the Body is not One Member, But Many. 1 Corinthians 12:14
At certain times in their lives many people get so bogged down in problems or misery that they seemingly cannot find their way out. Such was the case with . . .
Florence Littauer
Along with her husband, Fred, she conducts marriage seminars and teaches on personality types in church groups, conferences, and conventions nationwide. Her book, Personality Plus, is a classic among those who study personality differences.
The Littauers’ own lives took a dramatic change after their two brain-damaged sons died. They found themselves in a desperate search to find their way out of the misery and to find answers to the unanswered questions in their life. They often share the story when they speak.
“We were achieving on the surface, but we were hurting underneath,” says Florence. “Fred went to the library and started studying books on religion. We came to the realization that our problem was that we needed spiritual force in control of our lives.
“I learned this principle of control through the experiences with my two brain-damaged sons before they died. Each one had been beautiful to look at – bright blue eyes, blond hair, and dimpled chins. They had eyes, but they could not see; ears, but they could not hear, feet, but they could not walk. They looked all right on the outside, but without a proper functioning brain, with no controlling mechanism, nothing worked.
“We were a lot like those boys. We looked all right on the outside, but inside, nothing much was working right.”
“Within a year, each of us, at different times and places, accepted Jesus as our Savior, and gave Him control of our lives.”
Fred and Florence not only received a new-found peace and sense of purpose, but as they continued to study the Bible, they developed a fresh awareness that not everyone was created by God to function alike. Each person is unique - different.
This understanding of uniqueness helped Florence launch her career of teaching people to recognize, appreciate, and build successful teams using the personality differences of others.
In reality, how people handle their differences with others will determine their level of success or failure.
To effectively lead, you must determine that you are not going to let people’s differences be an irritation to you, but instead you are going to appreciate them and build upon them.
Do you appreciate individual differences? How can you better use the unique talents and gifts of others in your business, vocation or family?
For the kingdom,
City Bible Business Ministry
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