Have you ever wondered why you think the way you do? Growing up, your sister tells a story that you saw totally differently. Maybe you express your opinion on a subject, and others dismissed your view. Plus, the environment you were raised in can affect how you see situations.
We are born with certain God given attributes that are gifts to navigate our life. In Romans 12:3-8, it reveals how we respond and think about situations. Gary Chapman, in his book The 5 Love Languages, explains some of the different ways people are motivated. These are just a few of the gifts and motivations that cause us to respond to people and life events. God is a multifaceted being who is not limited in providing ways to express ourselves.
Understanding why people respond differently opens doors to motiving people to be their best. These gifts reveal how people think and how they are wired to accomplish life’s tasks. Instead of business leaders, families, or teachers trying to fit everyone into a certain box, this understanding will allow us to tap into hidden riches of a person’s gifting.
Why is it Important to Understand People’s Mindsets?
When you review this chart of the five different love languages, it shows you why some people don’t respond to your request. You wonder why people won’t change even when they know they need to change. Motivation can be a powerful force to move forward or become a roadblock to projects.
Personally, when someone gives me a gift, I appreciate it, but it doesn’t make me feel special. Usually, I would give the gift away, especially if it doesn’t meet a need. You take me to lunch or spend time with me one-on-one; I am ready to have your back and help you in anyway I can.
If you give a gift to someone who is motivated by acts of service, unless that gift is a massage, it won’t motivate them. If you offer to sweep the floor or take out the garbage, that will fulfill a need in this person who loves acts of service. At the office, it might be supplying a phone cradle to rest a person’s neck. Maybe giving them an hour lunch break instead of the usual half hour, as a reward for their hard work would motivate them.
The physical touch can be tricky in an office setting. Men can shake hands or slap each other on the back. The same sex co-workers might be able to give hugs of appreciation. Touching a person’s arm while talking to them shows you are focused on them. Personal relationships have an easier time in expressing love through touch. Holding hands, touching feet while sitting, or hugs to show appreciation cause this person to be actively engaged in the relationship.
Many people are motivated by words of affirmation. Hearing people’s appreciation of the job they are performing causes a motivating force to do more. Even in the home setting, when a dinner is appreciated it causes a chore to become a pleasure. Thanking your husband for doing a great job in caring for the lawn. Complimenting a co-worker for an accomplishment.
Ask God to reveal to you the love language of your family, co-workers, and employees. This may open opportunities for growth in relationships and production in companies.
God’s Motivational Gifts!
God’s motivational gifts are easier to understand if you think of them as different personality traits.
Romans 12:3-12 The Passion Translation
“God has given me grace to speak a warning about pride. I would ask each of you to be emptied of self-promotion and not create a false image of your importance. Instead, honestly assess your worth by using your God-given faith as the standard of measurement, and then you will see your true value with an appropriate self-esteem.
In the human body there are many parts and organs, each with a unique function. And so it is in the body of Christ. For though we are many, we’ve all been mingled into one body in Christ. This means that we are all vitally joined to one another, with each contributing to the others.
God’s marvelous grace imparts to each one of us varying gifts. So, if God has given you the grace-gift of prophecy, activate your gift by using the proportion of faith you have to prophesy. If your grace-gift is serving, then thrive in serving others well.
If you have the grace-gift of teaching, then be actively teaching and training others. If you have the grace-gift of encouragement, then use it often to encourage others. If you have the grace-gift of giving to meet the needs of others, then may you prosper in your generosity without any fanfare. If you have the gift of leadership, be passionate about your leadership. And if you have the gift of showing compassion, then flourish in your cheerful display of compassion.”
When looking at these motivational gifts you could see how personalities could crash into each other, bringing confusion. But once you understand these traits, you can build a team that is unstoppable. Jesus changed the world with twelve messy men with very different backgrounds. Some were fishermen, another was a tax collector, an accountant, and one was a physician. God used these various personalities and backgrounds to rub off the extremes and correct the mindsets to develop an unstoppable team.
As an influencer, whether in your family, work, or community, knowing these different motivational gifts can give you an insight into how to tap into these individuals’ potential. When we dismiss others’ views, we remove a part that might be vital to balance a team or family.
How these Motivational Gifts Can Create a Winning Team.
A blunt prophetic personality can stir up problems with the mercy personality. But this prophetic gift can cut through the “we have always done it this way ruts” and cause a refocusing on what is needed to accomplish a task. When you explain the reasons for the steps towards the end goal, it helps their no-compromise view to accept process of change.
A service-oriented person is the legs of the organization that produces action. Once goals and tasks are outlined, they are ready to run with the project. They become frustrated when there is no direction or action.
A teaching personality loves to do research, set up the outline of steps, and explain the process of accomplishing the goal. They can get very detailed oriented. You may need to explain that you only need the finished results and not every detail on how they got the steps.
The encouraging person can bring light-heartedness to the task or mission. They like socializing and checking on people. Their ability to acknowledge the hard work and release the encouragement to keep pushing through is invaluable. They are like cheerleaders on a team that bring excitement and strength to accomplish the mission.
The givers have the ability to see a need and find resources to meet those needs. They help find ways to solve problems that could roadblock a project. They are out of the box thinkers when it comes to finding solutions for financial or resources problems.
The leader or organizer gifted person knows how to keep a project moving forward. They can see how things should flow to accomplish the mission. They step up when a decision needs to be made. They look at the big picture of how to get the mission done. They can appear bossy to some of the team and will need to develop people skills and relationships to counteract this image.
The mercy motivated person brings compassion and emotional health to the project. They pick up on the emotional health or the team. They can see when someone is overwhelmed, frustrated, and down. This insight will cause a mercy motivated person to go into a protection mode to be sure that person’s needs are met or are not left behind. This mercy gift will need to be balanced with the goals of a project. But it does allow leadership to fix a problem before it becomes a roadblock in a person’s life or project.
The Wrap Up!
As you can see from all these different personalities and motivational types, it can become very complicated to lead a team or family. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Jesus, as our King and big Brother, is available to help us develop the right relationships to bring growth and victory. Holy Spirit will provide insight, correction, and encouragement along the way.
All these gifts help balance us to keep us from going to extremes and lose sight of our mission. The Word of God says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). God has always put my prophetic gift with people who have the mercy gift. We rubbed each other the wrong way but I have great mercy motivated friends who have helped me grow and learn to be more diplomatic with my words. God used me to help them to be emotional balanced when seeing people being hurt.
Prayer
Father God,
Help us to see the different gifts in people including ourselves. Jesus, teach us how to walk with those who see life differently so that we can bring glory to your name. Give us discernment and wisdom on how to tap into those gifts and develop them to their full potential within ourselves, our families, communities, and businesses. We invite you, Holy Spirit, to correct us, encourage us, and show us the best path to develop these motivational personalities.
References
Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages – https://5lovelanguages.com/
The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Website: https://www.bible.com/bible/1849/ROM.12.TPT
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