And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. – 1 Kings 10:10

Today's Scripture Reading (January 24, 2026): 1 Kings 10

We are all created differently. We have different strengths and weaknesses. We have different abilities. And we have different access. This catalogue of differences is what makes networking such an important activity. As we build relationships with diverse people, we open ourselves to many possibilities if we are willing to make use of them.

Of course, so do they. There are many things we can do that others can't. This means we need to understand our own catalogue of abilities and how others might use them. I believe that the American Dream, consisting of the idea that "anyone can become anything that they want," is essentially a lie. There are many things we can achieve, but the best way to succeed in our culture is to build on what we can do, rather than attempting to copy others or pursue something for which we are not well-suited.

All of this brings me back to a concept popularized by Marcus Buckingham, who argues that to succeed, we should focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses. If we work on what we are weak at, the best we can hope for is to be average. But if we work on our strengths, it is there that we can learn to excel. It reminds me of an exchange between Curly, the rugged cowboy, and Mitch, the city boy, in the 1991 movie "City Slickers."

Curly: Do you know what the secret of life is? [points index finger skyward] This.

Mitch: Your finger?

Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that, and the rest don't mean sh*t.

Mitch: But, what is the "one thing?"

Curly: [smiles and points his finger at Mitch] That's what you have to find out.

Success in life often depends on identifying Curly's "one thing."

The Queen of Sheba had answered that question for her nation. What they possessed was spices, and what they did better than anyone else was gather and process those spices. It was that ability that made the Queen rich, and that prowess was what she was willing to share with Solomon. We might dispute what she received in return, but she received something, even if it was only an essential alliance with Israel.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 9