In Proverbs 31:15 we read that wisdom assigns portions to her servant girls. This passage is not only talking about taking care of their physical needs with food but also their tasks for the day. Now I do not know anyone today who has servants or live in help but we all have people in our lives whom we work with. A wise person knows that people work best when they are working with their strengths. The wise person knows how to discover the strengths of those around and allows them to use these to accomplish the goal.
Delegation is one of the hardest things that I do. I often feel like I need to do all of the jobs in order to insure that it is done "right." "Right" of course being my way. What this does is two things. First it prevents those around me from using their gifts to enhance the kingdom of God. Second it makes me irritable, angry and unbearable for my husband and children to be around. When I am trying to do tasks that I have not been gifted to do I am stealing the joy that others may have doing something that I find mundane and overwhelming.
A wise person knows that they can not do it all and if they try it will overwhelm them. A wise person finds the strengths of those around them then allows them to complete their tasks without looking over their shoulder, offering suggestions of the better way accomplish it. By micromanaging we are telling the person that although we accepted their help we really don't think they are capable of accomplishing the task. We diminish their gifts and insist that only ours are important.
How sad that we think so highly of ourselves that we can not appreciate the talents and abilities that God has given to others. A wise person not only knows how to discover the strengths of those around them but also how to cultivate them. A wise person does not see asking for help as a weakness but sees it as an opportunity for others to use the talents and abilities that God has given them.
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