This week, I found myself noticing trellises.
My husband has been strengthening the grape trellis in our garden. I’m also learning that our raspberries would probably benefit from a trellis of their own, and I’m already thinking ahead to planting blueberries this fall.
Somewhere in the middle of gardening, walking, and revising Dark Blade Unchained, a simple thought took root:
Fruit-bearing plants aren’t weak because they need support. They simply grow better with it.
That made me wonder if our strengths work the same way.
I’ve found CliftonStrengths to be a helpful tool for understanding how God has wired me. My strongest talent is Ideation—the ability to see possibilities, make connections, and generate ideas.
I love that part of who I am. It’s energizing, creative, and deeply woven into how I write stories.
But I’ve also learned something important.
Ideas need a trellis.
For me, that looks like walking, talk-to-text, notebooks, allowing ideas to rest before acting on them, and accepting that not every idea needs to become a book.
Maybe your strengths look completely different.
Perhaps you’re naturally encouraging, organized, compassionate, curious, strategic, communicative, into deep research dives, practical, or action-orientated.
Whatever your strengths may be, they probably flourish with the right kind of support.
A gardener doesn’t criticize a grapevine for needing a trellis.
They simply build one.
Perhaps God invites us to do the same with the gifts He’s already planted in us.
A few questions to consider this week:
- What comes naturally to you?
- What do people consistently thank you for?
- What energizes you?
- What support helps that strength flourish?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.