Over the past few years God has given me a passion and joy in learning about personalities and the different personality frameworks. I’ve personally experienced how learning more about your own personality and the spiritual gifts God created you with can make a huge difference in our lives.
Over 8 years ago, I attended a personality and spiritual gifts assessment class at our church. I began serving on a team, and while I liked the team, it just didn’t feel like the best fit for me, but I wasn’t really sure which team would be.
My small group leader was on staff and knew what my results from that class were. Several months after that class she asked me if I wanted to join a new team they were forming. She knew it would fit one of my top giftings perfectly.
She called out that gift and it changed my life. If she had not called that gift out, I would not have had my previous job or the job I have now. I served on that team until just recently. Now it’s eight years later.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your work; my soul knows it very well.” – Psalm 139:13-14
Maybe you were told this scripture truth growing up? Or maybe you have only ever heard what a screw up you were? Do our “souls know it very well” how God created us? I remember hearing this in church growing up, but then I always felt like the next question should be “okay, now what?” And that’s where I think personality, gifts, and purpose come in? It has truly shifted my perspective in so many ways.
How do we learn more about how God created our personalities? How do we discover the spiritual gifts He has graced us with? How do those work together? And how do they point us toward our purpose? In learning these things I believe we come to know as one version says “full well” that we were fearfully and wonderfully made.
I think it’s the enemy’s mission to keep our souls from knowing it very well. It’s never easy, but it’s worth it. I believe when we learn deep in our soul how God created us, with what gifts He’s given us, and how He wants us to use those for our purpose, that God dances over us with joy.
That’s what I hope to explore more of here on the blog. With maybe a few other things I’m interested in scattered about. (I’ve never really had a niche for my blog. I’m interested in too many things, have too many hobbies. Plus I love to learn.) At least this is what I’m hoping to do.
And I know it’s become the trendy thing. Especially the Enneagram. Which is one of the two personality frameworks I have studied about the most. You can’t scroll through Facebook without seeing another “What (fill in the blank) are you?” We all want to learn more about ourselves, but do we really want to do the work?
I’ve never been one to follow the trends, though. I truly have found so much value and purpose in not only learning more about how God created me, but also helping others learn about their personalities and gifts.
It’s the trendiness that gives me pause. My biggest pet peeve & frustration with the trendiness of it all? We can read about personalities and learn about personalities, but unless we become intentional about noticing our patterns and allow the Holy Spirit to use what we’ve learned, all the knowledge won’t help us. Learning about our personality makes our excuses null and void. Our personality is not a crutch for our character.
Our personality is not a crutch for our character.
I’ve discovered I have more compassion and grace for others when I stop and set my mind with the perspective they see things from. Studying about the different ways God has created people’s personalities is teaching me the ability to step outside of the frustrations their behavior can cause me which in turn lowers my stress level (at least most days.) It helps me to understand they aren’t behaving the way they behave just to make my life more difficult.
Keeping my thoughts in this mindset isn’t always easy, but stopping my thoughts from veering off into frustration. Instead, if I think in terms of personality I’m able to keep an eternal perspective.
And we cannot do it on our own in our own power. Only through Christ, God’s grace, and the Holy Spirit can it make a difference. We have to get out of the Holy Spirit’s way and it’s a constant work in progress. But if we allow it, we will see glimpses of how God sees us through Christ and how we will be when we are fully redeemed.
Being in a healthy place spiritually with your personality plus discovering your spiritual giftings and combining that with your passions can lead you to your purpose.
Your passions may change as you go through different seasons of life. Your giftings may grow stronger or some may not be used as much. But in every season I believe the purpose to which you are called for that season will always fit your gifts and personality.
So here’s to learning more about ourselves and how God created us and using that to discover our purpose and in the process bring our ultimate purpose to light which is to glorify Him.
