The Theory of Mutliple-Giftedness
From the Series—Behind the Ministry
July 11, 2002In 1983, a Harvard professor named Howard Gardner wrote a groundbreaking book titled Frames of Mind. The book popularized the theory of multiple intelligences (MI). Gardner argued that intelligence couldn’t be measured by an ACT, GRE, or IQ test. He argued for the existence of multiple intelligences. In other words, different people are smart in different ways! Frames of Mind identified seven types of intelligence. Here’s a paraphrased list: word smart, picture smart, music smart, body smart, number smart, people smart, and self smart.
When Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart was a boy, he visited the Sistine Chapel in Rome. He was enchanted by a piece of music by Gregorio Allegri and wanted a copy of the music, but the Sistine chapel had decreed that that particular piece of music, the Miserere, could only be performed inside the Sistine chapel and could not be copied under any circumstances. Mozart attended one more performance then used his “phonographic” memory to write out the entire musical score. I have no idea if Mozart was body smart, number smart, or people smart, but I think it’s safe to say that Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart was music smart.
In 1844, Johann Martin Zacharias Dase calculated Pi correctly to 200 places in less than 2 months. Dase could count the number of sheep in a flock after a single glance. He could multiply two eight-digit numbers in 54 seconds, two forty-digit numbers in 40 minutes, and two 100-digit numbers in 8 hours. He was a human calculator. Dase could perform calculations for weeks on end. He would stop calculating at bedtime, store everything to memory, and pick up right where he left off after breakfast. I have no idea if Dase was music smart, word smart, or self smart, but I think it’s safe to say that Johann Martin Zacharias Dase was number smart.
This past week Ted Williams passed away at the age of 83. Some sports fans consider him the greatest hitter of all-time. His lifetime batting average was .344. He hit 521 lifetime homers. And he was the last major leaguer to hit over .400 for a season. I don’t know if Ted Williams was number smart, music smart, or picture smart, but I think it’s safe to say that Ted Williams was body smart.
Three different people. Three different centuries. Three different careers. One thing in common: they were all intelligent in different ways! That’s MI theory in a nutshell. Different people are smart in different ways! What I love about MI theory is the freedom it gives to be who you are. Just because you don’t perform well on written tests in a classroom doesn’t mean you’re not smart. There are different types of intelligence!
Just as people are smart in different ways, people are gifted in different ways. Romans 12 is the theory of multiple giftedness. Paul says, “We have different gifts according to the grace given us.”
Do What You Are
Romans 12:7 says, “If a man’s gift is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach, if it is encouraging, let him encourage.” We tend to equate identity and occupation--you are what you do. Romans 12 reverses the equation. Instead of saying, “You are what you do,” it says, “Do what you are.” If your gift is serving, then serve. If it’s leadership, then lead. If it’s teaching, then teach. It’s that simple! The Message says, “Let’s go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves to others or trying to be what we aren’t.”
Abraham Maslow said, “A musician must make music, a builder must build, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.” Os Guiness says it this way, “We are never happier than when we are expressing the deepest gifts that are truly us.”
In his best-selling book, What Color is Your Parachute, Nelson Bolles says that the greatest mistake in job-hunting is just going after known vacancies. He says, “Year after year this system condemns man after man, woman after woman, to go down the same path, face the same problems, make the same mistakes, endure the same frustrations, go through the same loneliness, and end up feeling as though there is something wrong with them.” Bolles says there are two keys to a successful job-hunt. They apply to a “ministry-hunt” as well.
1) Identify exactly what you have to offer. Bolles calls this your “transferable skills.” Scripture calls them spiritual gifts.
2) Identify exactly where you want to use those skills. Bolles calls this your field of interest.
Circle of Giftedness & Circle of Passion
All of us have a circle of giftedness and circle of passion. The circle of giftedness consists of those things we do best. The circle of passion consists of those things we love most. Fulfillment and fruitfulness in life and ministry are found where those two circles overlap. Jim Cathcart says, “Fulfillment comes when we spend our energies on what we care about, believe in, and have talent for.”
A few years ago, a nationwide survey found that 89% of Americans are unhappy in their current employment. The survey cited two primary reasons:
1) Their job did not match their gifts--they weren’t doing what they do best.
2) Their job did not match their passion--they weren’t doing what they love most.
NCC is committed to helping people find “the right fit” because a mismatch isn’t good for anyone. We don’t want to fill “known vacancies.” We want people ministering where their circle of giftedness and circle of passion overlap!
How You Do What You Do
Romans 12:8 continues, “If it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”
It’s not just “what” you do that counts. It’s “how” you do “what” you do. There are three qualifiers in Romans 12:8--generously, diligently, and cheerfully. This is the “LY” principle. Generously means you don’t just give enough to get by. It means going above and beyond. You exceed expectations. Diligently means you don’t just do what’s required. You give it everything you’ve got. You strive for excellence. Cheerfully means you don’t just do it begrudgingly. It means you pour your heart and soul into it.
Colossians 3:23 is our modus operandi, “Whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord.” Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘There lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
Everybody Can Do Something
One of my favorite stories is about a man named Roger Crawford. Roger was born with a rare condition called ectrodactylism. It affects only 1 in 90,000 children born in the United States. Roger’s condition was worse than most. Roger was born with no hands and one leg. Instead of hands he had a thumb-like projection that that extended directly out of his right forearm and a thumb and one finger stuck out of his left forearm. His right foot only had three toes and his left leg was withered so badly that it had to be amputated. The doctors said Roger would never walk. Fortunately, his parents didn’t believe the doctors!
Roger’s father encouraged him to play sports and at the age of 12, Roger managed to win a spot on the school football team. Before every game he would dream of scoring a touchdown. One day he got his chance. He caught a pass and ran as fast as he could on his artificial leg towards the goal line. His coaches and teammates and fans were screaming on the sidelines. He made it all the way to the ten yardline before an opponent caught him and grabbed his left ankle. Roger tried to pull the artificial leg free, but instead the opponent pulled it off. Roger said, “I was still standing up. I didn’t know what else to do so I started hopping towards the goal line.” He said, “You know, the only thing greater than scoring a touchdown was the look on the face of the kid who was holding my artificial leg.”
Roger went on to play collegiate tennis and finished with a career record of 22 wins and 11 losses. He also became the first handicapped person to be certified as a teaching professional by the United States Professional Tennis Association. He now travels across the country as a motivation speaker with this message:
“The only difference between you and me is that you can see my handicap, but I can’t see yours. We all have them. When people ask me how I’ve been able to overcome my physical handicaps, I tell them that I haven’t overcome anything. I’ve simply learned what I can’t do--such as play the piano or eat with chopsticks--but more importantly, I’ve learned what I can do. Then I do what I can do with all my heart and soul.”
Roger sets an example for the rest of us to follow. Don’t worry about what you can’t do. Everybody is bad at something! Discover what you can do, then do it with all of your heart and soul. The Message says, “Don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do you best.”