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About This Obsession with Personality Type

About This Obsession with Personality Type

Listen, I love a good personality test as much or more than the next person. 

Hello, my name is Angela Sanders, orange, choleric, neutral good, type 2 4w, INFJ-T lion-otter combo extraordinaire, otherwise known as Elsa, Yoda, Mr.Darcy, and/or the apostle Paul, depending on which Buzzfeed quiz you happen to be referencing. Pleased to make your acquaintance!

I’m concerned, however, that our culture’s interest in the identification, definition, and categorization of personality may have tripped over into an unhealthy obsession.

What’s the problem?  For the Christian, here are a few:        

1. Personality type can become an excuse.  For inappropriate behavior.  For refusal to grow and mature.  For failure to consider others.  The list goes on and on. 

  • “I’m a turbulent personality.  Sometimes we lose it.  That’s just how I am.”
  • “I’m a two.  We’re generous givers, so I don’t have to learn to manage my money.”  
  • “I’m an introvert.  It’s hard for me to put myself out there to make others feel comfortable or loved, so they should come to me.”

2. Personality type can become a source of pride.

  • “I’m choleric.  Without me, the rest of you would be lost.  I am the reason our team succeeds.” 
  • “I’m intuitive.  I alone know what’s really going on here.”
  • “My personality type is the most rare, making me pretty darn special.”

3. Personality typing can foster prejudice, discourage unity, and hinder individual and group growth. 

  • “He’s an otter through and through, all smiles, but no substance.” 
  • “They’re way too practical to be any fun.  Don’t include them.” 
  • “She’s a melancholy personality.  Of course, she’d detect a problem.  Don’t listen to her.”
  • “Who cares if we accomplish anything?  We birds of a feather are having fun!”

Although it’s definitely a good thing to notice and appreciate the way God made you so you can praise Him for His creativity and wisdom, take inventory of your gifts and strengths so you can put them to work for the advancement of His Kingdom, and make a list of your weaknesses so you can make a conscious effort to overcome them by the power of His Holy Spirit, those of us who belong to God as a result of our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ are called to do more than become polished versions of our imperfect selves.

We are called to submission, obedience, and transformation into the image of Jesus Himself by the power of the Holy Spirit so others may find salvation in Him and join us in glorifying the Father who deserves nothing less from us than the kind of good only He can bring about.

Narcissism, bad behavior, sour attitudes, immaturity, selfishness, pride, divisiveness, apathy: these are counter-productive at best.

So, go ahead.  Take a quick look in the mirror, but just long enough to get yourself situated on the altar of living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1).  

Remember, we worship the Creator, not His creation (Matt. 4:10).  Only let your gaze linger on Him.      

Temptation: a burden turned blessing

Temptation: a burden turned blessing

It’s here again.  Dark.  Familiar.  Frightening.  The moment you’ve been dreading since the last time.

Your mind races, your pulse quickens, and the joy you felt just moments ago dissipates as you watch yourself do the very thing you hate, not helpless to resist, but painfully limited in your human resolve to do so. 

Even as you push the button, take a bite, speak the words—perform whatever deceptively simple act that goes against God’s will—you’re sorry. 

Deeply sorry. 

Satisfaction succors, yes, a wave of warmth most welcome, but it’s fleeting and incomplete. 

Exposed, cold, ashamed, your heart begins to weep. 

It’s not supposed to be like this.  You didn’t think it could be like this.  You’re a child of the living God, for cryin’ out loud!  

At least you think you are. 

Once upon a time, you put your faith in the Gospel and were rescued, supposedly, from sin and its consequences.  So why the struggle?  Why this agony? Could it be you’ve finally run up a sin bill too high for Jesus’ blood to cover?

No.  Never.

The Enemy would like you to believe that, of course—in fact, he’s working very hard to make you believe it—but Jesus’ blood was more than enough to pay your sin bill, past, present, and future (1 Peter 3:18). 

Rest assured, if you have accepted God’s forgiveness made possible through Jesus’ death and resurrection by surrendering control of your life to Him, as proven by your continued desire to please Him over anyone else and obey Him in all things (1 John 2:3; Philippians 2:13), you are a child of God, rescued not only from the consequences of sin, but also from its present power and future presence in Heaven (Romans 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:15, 5:5). 

Don’t be discouraged!

We all struggle with temptation.  It just comes with being stuck in these earthly bodies we’re wearing, but your soul is just as saved as it ever was, even if some of the choices you make as God moves you toward Christ-likeness don’t leave you as content and peaceful as you could be (Philippians 1:6; Romans 7:15-25).  

Instead, be encouraged! 

Your aching heart is proof that you belong to God (1 John 3:24; Ephesians 4:30), as the Holy Spirit only dwells in the hearts of His children (Galatians 4:6; 1 John 5:12), strong evidence that He is still at work in your life.

Christian, through Jesus, you have everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), whether you feel like it in this moment or not, and if you let Him, God will give you the power going forward to do all the important things He’s planned for you to do for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 2:10-11, 3:16). 

All you have to do is cooperate.  

Heed the Holy Spirit’s warnings (Isaiah 30:21).  Look for the escape routes God provides and take them (1 Corinthians 10:13).  If and when you fail, accept the Holy Spirit’s conviction with gratitude (John 16:8), confess and turn away from your sin (1 John 1:9), and keep stepping forward in faith (Romans 1:5). 

Ignore the Enemy’s lies and leave the past in the past like God does (John 8:44; Hebrews 8:12).  

Keep choosing Jesus, moment by moment, day by day, year by year, and before you know it, this present struggle will be nothing but a distant memory, useful for encouraging others with the same sin inclinations as yours, a heavy burden turned blessing. 

Doubt it?  Don’t!  All things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26).

The Easter Effect

The Easter Effect

Confession: I didn’t go to all the Easter services. 

I celebrated Jesus’ resurrection on Easter morning, of course—wouldn’t miss that for the world—but I didn’t go to the Maundy Thursday or Good Friday services. I do think they are worthwhile, and I appreciate our church staff for putting in the extra time and effort to create a meaningful experience for everyone, but my heart just felt too shaky this year to focus on the crucifixion for very long.

The weight of it. The pain of it. The truth of my role in Jesus’ death. Listen, if I had stood for even a second before the cross and beheld not only Jesus’ love for me, but His even greater commitment to the Father, my Father, I would’ve fallen apart and made a scene, so I chose just to know this time instead of dwell.

It’s so intensely personal, the Easter story, the beautiful truth that set me free when I was a child, that continues to set me free even as I continue to prove I don’t deserve it.

I know without a doubt I am a child of God, set apart as a result of the faith God gave me to believe the Gospel and make Jesus boss of my life, but no matter how hard I try or how much progress I make, I keep messing up. I’m not always aware of my sin in the moment, of course, but that doesn’t lessen its dissonance with God’s character, weaken its impact on those around me, or dilute the stench of it.

Ugh. It’s beyond frustrating!

Thanks to the Gospel, though, the Easter story, I don’t have to stay frustrated, mired in my own muck, powerless to move forward. When Jesus died, He died for all my sin, past, present, and future. His death brought me peace with God once and for all.  His resurrection gave me new and eternal life.

All I have to do now is confess my sin as the Holy Spirit opens my eyes to it, walk away from it, and resume my pursuit of holiness with a clear conscience and light heart, confident not in my own ability to achieve it, but in God’s faithfulness to bring it about (Phil. 1:6). Today, in spite of the mistakes I made just this morning, I get to hand the Father my heart in worship and know deep down I’ve pleased Him.

Listen, the Enemy can try to discourage me all he wants—he’s currently making a good effort—but my mistakes no longer define me. Neither do the things that tempt. The cross does.

Today, tomorrow, forever, Easter continues. Praise God!

Get Comfortable: A Call to Do Hard Things

Get Comfortable: A Call to Do Hard Things

“…After all, golf is about learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”  

I wasn’t having a quiet time, praying, reading my Bible, or even expecting to hear from God in that moment, but He spoke to my heart as loudly and clearly as if I had been. His mouthpiece was a PGA announcer commenting on the annual Drive, Chip, and Putt contest for children held every year just before the Masters. 

A young lady had just won. Instead of remarking on the high score that had just earned her first place, he complimented her ability to endure the entire Drive, Chip, and Putt experience, which includes performing well after sleeping in a strange hotel, attending events with strangers of all ages, being interviewed without the help of parents or coaches, and focusing on the contest under the scrutiny of a vast television audience. 

Hard stuff for anyone, especially a child!  Yet dozens of children had shown up to compete, accepting and facing the challenges that came with the opportunity to reap reward. 

I was challenged. 

There was a time when I served God with abandon, using the spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, and experiences God has allowed me with little thought to the challenges that came with doing so, mainly because I hadn’t faced many challenges yet and the things God had asked me to do to that point hadn’t required me to step very far outside my comfort zone. 

When God did call me outside my comfort zone, the inevitable happened. People proved themselves human, and I proved myself just as human. Allowing my gaze to drop from God to self, I lost some of my nerve.

Many of my yes’s became maybe’s, and many of those maybe’s became no’s.

I didn’t say many of the things I should have said. 

I didn’t do many of the things I should have done. 

I didn’t go to many of the places I should have gone. 

I didn’t reach out to many of the people I should have reached out to. 

Instead, I made excuses, telling myself I was waiting for that elusive and easy-to-counterfeit “peace” we Christians like to talk about before moving forward when I was really just culling out comfort for myself. 

Trouble is, we’re not called to comfort.  We’re called to follow Jesus in obedience wherever that obedience leads, and following doesn’t always feel good (Matt. 8:20)—sometimes, it feels awful.

It does, however, deepen our relationship with the Father (John 14:23), a reward worth anything it may cost us, which is why those of us who have put our faith in the Gospel of Jesus and so belong to God must all check ourselves at every turn to make sure we haven’t grown lazy, complacent, or fearful, traits that fail to glorify Him, but are still running just as hard after our Savior as we ever did by the God-given faith that saved us.  

The Christian life isn’t comfortable; we have to get comfortable with that.

Needed: A pep talk for discouraged Christians

Needed: A pep talk for discouraged Christians

“You’re up!” they say. “Get in there!”

They’re right.  You agree.  You want to. 

Or maybe you see the opportunity and no one else does. 

Deep down, you know God is calling you up again to use the talents, gifts, abilities, and experiences He’s given you for the sake of His Kingdom and glory. 

But…

Maybe it’s been a while. 

Maybe you weren’t asked. 

Maybe the task is new and you feel old. 

Maybe you’re used to playing the lead, but this is a supporting role. 

Maybe things didn’t go as well as you wanted them to last time. 

Maybe people criticized, challenged, or competed with you, people who should have helped you out or, at the very least, supported and encouraged you. 

Maybe you think you made things worse instead of better. 

Whatever the case, I assure you I’ve been there.

Oh, occasionally, it seems the hearts of others might have been lit by the spark God ignited in mine, but most of the time, human response to my efforts falls short of what I hoped for or envisioned, and I’m left feeling like I don’t quite measure up to human standards. 

That’s okay. 

God calls us to a different standard—Jesus Himself—and has promised to complete what He began in us (Phil. 1:6).  All we have to do is cooperate, continue to do the things that come supernaturally to those who have the Holy Spirit in their lives as a result of their faith in the Gospel, applying that same faith day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment and trusting the God who gave it to bring the harvest (Rom. 1:5, Eph. 2:8-9, 1 Cor. 3:7).   

Compliments.  Recognition.  Applause.  These are nice.  They feel good when you get them, but they quickly fade to memory.  When you work for them, you only make your imperfect self God’s opponent in a glory contest you cannot possibly win, a wasted effort.

Unconditional surrender.  Submissive service.  Sincere worship.  These may not earn you a pat on the back or a star on the walk, but they are investments in something eternal, God’s Kingdom.  When you practice them, you give holy God His due and set your own heart at rest by proving your faith genuine, your salvation real, and your future secure (1 John 2:3-6; 2 Pet. 2:5-11).  What could possibly be better?

Listen, friend, you don’t have to be awesome at what God tells you to do—He’s got ‘awesome’ covered!  You don’t even have to be chosen by your brothers and sisters.  All you have to do is finish the race God has laid out for you like you began it, in faith, and give every obedient effort what He’s worth (Eph. 2:10).

No, you won’t ‘wow’ everyone, but you will please God (Heb. 11:6, John 14:23).  Given Who He is and what He’s done, that’s way more than enough. 

Now, what are you waiting for?  Get in there!