In this blog posting, I found a great description of ‘gifted’ and a great description of where it is found: I DON’T brag about my gifted kid.
First the author describes where giftedness, as used in developmental and educational psychology, lies: “GIFTED.IS.WIRING. It is who a person is, not what a person accomplishes.”
The author then goes on to quote Linda Silverman (Ph.D educational psychology, author of a number books and articles and head of the The Gifted Development Center) on what giftedness is:
“Giftedness is not what you do or how hard you work. It is who you are. You think differently. You experience life intensely. You care about injustice. You seek meaning. You appreciate and strive for the exquisite. You are painfully sensitive. You are extremely complex. You cherish integrity. Your truth-telling has gotten you in trouble. Should 98% of the population find you odd, seek the company of those who love you just the way you are. You are not broken. You do not need to be fixed. You are utterly fascinating. Trust yourself!”
Every sentence in her description is exquisite and deserves to be considered by those who deal with those who are ‘gifted’ in the sense of having high intelligence and multi-potentiality (another shorthand description of giftedness).
Several years ago I put together a series of blog posting on what giftedness means for someone who has trusted in Christ and believes in the Bible as the wholly inspired and inerrant Word of God. While there are things I would expand upon in the following postings, I stand by what I’ve written. Here is the full listing:
- Gifted, Talented . . . and Christian: The Discovery of Giftedness
- Gifted, Talented and Christian: General Observations on the Gifted
- Gifted, Talented . . . and Christian: The GT Adult And the Evangelical Church
- Gifted, Talented . . . and Christian: Giftedness, Friendships, Dating and Marriage
- Gifted, Talented . . . and Christian: GTs, Employment and Vocation
- Gifted, Talented . . . and Christian: Guidelines for the GT Spiritual Quest
- Gifted, Talented . . . and Christian: Giftedness and the Bible
- Gifted, Talented . . . and Christian: Lessons Learned
- Gifted, Talented . . . and Christian: Links on Giftedness
- Gifted, Talented . . . and Christian: Pastors and the Gifted
