Strengths and Weaknesses: Are They Really That Different?
These days, there are all kinds of personality tests that allow people to analyze themselves. These tests help people understand who they are, how they operate, and what makes them tick. Tests like DISC, MBTI, and the Enneagram of Personality are all the rage these days in schools, in the corporate world, and yes, even in the church. It's common for people to ask questions like, "What's your MBTI?", and more often than not, they'll actually get an answer rather than looks of confusion.
One reason these personality tests are so popular is because people are more curious about themselves than ever before. Part of it is due to the increasing zeitgeist of individuality in society, but part of it has to do with competition. With so much competition in every field, it's more critical than ever to know yourself and know how you stand apart from others. An awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses is a basic expectation of college admissions and corporate hiring departments.
While on one level, there certainly are such things as strengths and weaknesses (more on that later), on another level, we can reasonably ask if there really is any difference. Viewed from another perspective, strengths and weaknesses can be two sides of the same coin, or put another way, different tools in the toolbox.
The Toolbox Model
In the toolbox model, strengths and weaknesses are seen simply as specialized skills or qualities that work well in some situations and not-so-well in others. In this way, they are much like tools in a toolbox; no single tool is good for every situation, and each tool is specialized to be effective for certain tasks. Take a hammer, for instance. A hammer is great if you need to drive nails into wood, but hammers are terrible for digging, and even worse for cutting.
“No single tool is good for every situation, and each tool is specialized to be effective for certain tasks.”
Seen through this lens, every character strength is also a weakness, and every weakness is a strength. Extroversion is a prized characteristic in Western society, but is extroversion good in every situation? While extroversion is helpful when it comes to networking, being the life of the party, or dealing with lots of people at a time, extroverts also tend to have more shallow relationships than introverts and are not as comfortable in intimate, one-on-one interactions. For this reason, extroversion is often a weakness when it comes to counseling, confiding, and inward-focused disciplines such as introspection, self-reflection, and meditation.
Assertiveness is another quality that is often put on a pedestal in Western, and in particular, American culture. Assertive people are seen as strong leaders, decisive, and confident. They make decisions quickly and firmly, and so assertiveness is a boon when a group needs direction, vision, or mobilization leading to progress.
“Seen through this lens, every character strength is also a weakness, and every weakness is a strength.”
But the nature of assertiveness also means assertive people have little patience, and this lack of patience is what makes assertiveness a liability in certain circumstances. If a situation is deeply complex and precarious, assertiveness may actually lead you into trouble. Sometimes problems are so profound that a prolonged period of analysis is warranted before pulling the trigger. As the saying goes, if you only have one hour to solve a serious problem, you should spend 55 minutes examining the problem and 5 minutes implementing the solution.
The flip side of the argument is that weaknesses are also strengths. Irritability is certainly a weakness, especially in social settings. But irritability often comes from keen sensitivity, the kind that artists often have. And that kind of sensitivity can be a beautiful strength given certain conditions; it can enable remarkable empathy when focused in the right way, and it can open one's eyes to beauty and goodness too subtle for most others to notice.
Similarly, positive things can be said for "weaknesses" such as habitual tardiness (e.g. ability to focus so much that you lose track of time), a distaste for reading (e.g. maybe you're more into people than books), or being boring (e.g. what one person calls boring, another person might call steady, serene, or content in one's own skin).
True Strengths and Weaknesses
Because the Bible speaks of strengths and weaknesses, or virtues and vices, it isn't possible to claim that there is no difference between the two. That would be blurring theological and ethical lines far too liberally. So what are true strengths and weaknesses according to Scripture?
Strengths in the Bible are those qualities associated with God, the characteristics that flow from His very nature. These qualities include creativity, holiness, faithfulness, patience, and humility. Also included are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the greatest of which is love. Against these things, there is no law (Gal. 5:23). In other words, there is no "weakness" in these qualities at all, no downside to speak of, because they come from God and there is no weakness or lack in God. We must all strive to excel as much as possible in these godly virtues.
“Strengths in the Bible are those qualities associated with God, the characteristics that flow from His very nature.”
Likewise, weaknesses or vices in Scripture are qualities associated with the absence of God, that is, with the flesh and the world, described in passages such as Galatians 5:19-21 and 1 Timothy 1:9-10. These qualities are considered evil because they are the opposite of who God is. Pride is the absence of humility. Rage is the absence of self-control. Debauchery is the absence of purity. There is nothing strong or good in any of these qualities because they are the absence of strength and goodness.
God calls all people, but especially the saints, to move away from the qualities of the flesh and to move toward the qualities of godliness (Rom. 8:4-6; Gal. 5:25). These are the true strengths and weaknesses that we are to be aware of, either to pursue or to reject.
So what does this mean for the toolbox model discussed above? How does that model line up with Scripture's teaching on strengths and weaknesses?
The distinguishing factor is the type of quality we are referring to. The personality traits discussed in the toolbox model are neither inherently good nor inherently evil; they are morally neutral, able to be used in good or evil ways. But the strengths and weaknesses identified by Scripture are morally good or evil. It is impossible to sin by loving someone (as God defines love), and it is impossible to do right by hating someone.
How the Toolbox Model Helps Us
Why is it important for us to be aware of the toolbox model of strengths and weaknesses? Because it helps us evaluate ourselves graciously and humbly. We can give grace to ourselves when it comes to our weaknesses, knowing that they are not always weaknesses but in some cases can be amazing strengths. And it helps us remain humble when considering our strengths because we know that our strengths can lead us into sin when used in the wrong ways.
As any experienced builder will tell you, you have to have the right tool for the job. Having the right tools makes the job easy; having the wrong ones makes it a nightmare. God has given each one of us a unique set of tools. Let's learn to use them wisely so that we maximize our effectiveness in certain situations while also relying on the strengths of others.