thank you for sharing, everybody!!  it's amazing how we can hear God's voice in different sirtuations, encounters w/ others, or in a written piece such as yours, wendy.  it's good to be reminded about what we believe, because it's so easy to get off track when storms blow through.  as iron sharpens iron...lburck

Hi guys~I thought I would share some interesting information w/ you.  I am reading a book for a business class called, Now, Discover Your Strengths.  In it, it describes the process of brain mapping and pruning.  We are all given billions of neurons which potentially can make connections (synapses) w/ other neurons.  Around age three, many of those connections “die.”  By the time we are teenagers, we will have lost an extraordinarily large amount of connections.  But, that is a good thing; a necessary thing.  If we did not lose so many connections, we would experience sensory overload, like a child w/ autism.  Children w/ autism have a difficult time thinking because they have too many synapses firing away.  We were designed to lose so many connections in order that we might “exploit” the ones we have left, which makes each of us so unique.  So, for example, I am highly detail-oriented.  This is a strength attributed to the way I am “wired.”  I have some strong synapses or connections that give me the ability (or talent) to consistently see what others might miss.  I cannot, however, juggle many things at once; I cannot multi-task well.  Those who possess that strength/talent are “wired” in a way that enables them to do many things well, at one time. 

What I learned from all this is that we cannot be frustrated at others for not “seeing” things the way we see them.  We are all snow flakes in that we are each uniquely (and wondrously) created.  I cannot, therefore, fault my husband for not being able to empathize w/ me (or others).  That is a talent that one must be wired to possess.  He can, however, acquire knowledge (on what empathy is), and gain skills (on how to be empathetic), that will enable him to show empathy.  But unless he possesses the talent–the natural tendency–toward having empathy for others, he will never perform flawlessly for each situation that requires empathy.  So, if someone in your life is doing things that drive you up a wall, remember that he/she is not wired like you are.  It will help us to “see” people differently and have a greater appreciation for our differences.  We will become more accepting of others, and not fault them for lacking our talents/abilities ( for not seeing things the way we see them).   We will begin to focus on their strength/talents.

We are transformed into the image of God in two ways: by what we do, and by what God does.  We acquire knowledge (thru His Word, and other ways), and we learn skills (on how to apply knowledge).  But that which does not occur naturally w/ in us (ie., the ability to love your neighbor), God will do Supernaturally thru us.  Our part is to pray for change and learn all we can about it, and God will do the rest, supernaturally.  He is a systematic God; an orderly God.  We can’t just pray for something, sit back, and do nothing further.  We have a part in our transformation.