Starting the New Year with Strengths

You may have noticed the Virtue Strength Survey on the Openlight Media website. If not, check it out! The Openlight Media team took it so we could be aware of our virtue strengths and recognize them in each other. Personally, I discovered that God has graced me with the strength of the virtue of sincerity. While it took me a while to “see” this in myself, discovering it was truly a blessing. Sincerity is truthfulness in words and actions, honesty and enthusiasm toward others, and authenticity.

Possessing this self-knowledge is a gift as it sheds light on how I react in positive and negative situations. For example, since I’m sincere in my words and actions, I will assume other people act the same. So, if a person doesn’t respond to a sincere action or word, I can tend to get hurt more easily. I may set an unrealistic expectation, so changing this and accepting what another has to offer is essential. We tend to be more sensitive to our own strengths. 

So, if you begin the New Year, you can take the Virtue Strength Survey to discover your strengths. While it is important to cultivate the one that may need more attention, it is also good to be aware of your reactions to your strengths. Let me offer a few more examples: 

• If reverence is strong, you may get more upset if people talk in Church. 
• If affability is strong, encounters with less friendly people may sting a bit more. 
• If docility is strong, the inflexible person may get on your nerves. 

The opposing trait in the  Disciple of Christ Virtue Chart  can serve as a good guide for this examination. 

If you haven’t decided on your New Year’s resolution, this may be a good place to start: thanking God for His abundance of goodness to you.