Max Lucado:  Finding Your “Sweet Spot” in Ministry

Orginally published on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 at 1:00 PM
by Todd Rhoades

There's an interesting interview with Max Lucado over at the ChurchBusiness.com website. Lucado has a theory: Anyone can enjoy a satisfying professional life (yes, even church workers) by identifying his or her “sweet spot.” Lucado says "Your sweet spot is that unique combination of abilities and strengths God has given you. It’s the zone out of which He intended for us to operate, and in which we’re most fruitful. It’s different for every person, and the closer we can come to understanding our own unique sweet spot, the more fruitful and satisfied we’ll be in our work and life..."

Here’s a small portion of the interview.  You can read the whole thing here at ChurchBusiness.com...

CB:

If you meet 100 new people per week — and I’m sure you do — about how many have found their sweet spots?

Lucado:

A phenomenal question! I think the answer would come from some of the research we did for the book in terms of job satisfaction.
One out of three American citizens say they hate their jobs, and something like 80 percent say they’re unequipped and unenthused about their jobs. So, my hunch is that at least seven out of 10 people aren’t working in their sweet spots.

CB:

Of the people who are working in their sweet spots, what do they all have in common?

Lucado:

That’s another great question. Well, there’s an enthusiasm about their work — they’re less concerned about the hours they work than the jobs they do. They take great pride in their work.
In the book, and from my own perspective, the sweet spot isn’t just about identifying the what, but understanding the why. Adolf Hitler knew what he could do, but why God gave him that ability, he never discovered.

For a person to really live in their sweet spot, they’ve got to discover the joy of pleasing and honoring God. It’s less about themselves and more about honoring Him.

CB:

I liked your story about the popcorn vendor who shut down his stand early (much to a businessman’s bewilderment) so he could go home and drink tea with his wife, saying he was “rich enough.” How can someone start to understand and adapt to this mindset in a possessions-obsessed culture?

Lucado:

That’s another good question. Step number one is to accept this truth: You are absolutely unique. There’s no one else in all of history like you. You can search not only the world, but history, for your replica, and you won’t find that person.
To a lot of people, that’s a brand-new thought. All their lives they’ve been told, ‘Just be like your dad,’ or ‘Be like your brother,’ or ‘Why don’t you be like your uncle?’ They’re told to be like somebody. We’ve created a ‘becoming’ society.

My contention is that you already are something, and the oak is inside the acorn. The job and privilege is to let it out.

Really assess yourself. In the book, I mention People Management Inc. Intl., [a group] I joined up with because I really like their assessment tool [the S.T.O.R.Y. test]. Their studies show that only 1 percent of workers ever really assess their unique abilities. So, most people have a hunch, but they’re more serious about their golf games than they are about exploring their own unique abilities.

CB:

Are you living in your sweet spot?

Lucado:

I am, but I haven’t always. I think all of us go through jobs that don’t place us in our sweet spots. We have to pay the bills, we have to pay the mortgage, so we all go through seasons in which we endure a job.
But the goal is to identify our uniqueness. When I look back over my life, it’s always been about story. Moment after moment, I was caught up in either telling or reading stories. It’s what I do well. I can’t keep my checkbook balanced, I can’t change the oil in my car — there’s a lot I can’t do. But you know what? I’m peaceful in saying, ‘Here’s my assignment in life.’ It’s greatly satisfying.

It’s a challenge to stay there because there are a lot of calls in life to take on this job, or to work in this area, or to take that promotion. But to wake up and know you have a chance to do the most of what you do best today — that’s a huge privilege, and I realize that.

My granddad worked on the railroad, and my dad was a mechanic. This would’ve been a luxury conversation for them. They’d be thinking ‘We’ve got to pay the bills and get through the week.’ It’s a huge privilege to live in a day when you can really evaluate yourself.

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.

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