Do you like to take those personality assessment tests? You know, the ones that help you figure out if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert? A decisive planner or spontaneous and unpredictable? The results can be helpful, but the thing that always surprises me is the amount of insight that these simple questions and answers can offer to those who are interested.
There is a certain sense in which Paul can also help us evaluate our tendencies or preferences. Only his assessment helps us to look at qualities which demonstrate how our faith is becoming evident in the way in which we live. Here are some of the suggested areas for your consideration:
- Grounded in the Lord . . . . . . . . . . . Unsure, wavering, unsteady
- Reasonable, agreeable . . . . . . . . . . Argumentative, reactive
- Joyful, positive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pessimistic, complainer
- Gentle, patient, kind . . . . . . . . . . . . Thoughtless, impatient
- Peaceful, trusting, prayerful. . . . . . . . Anxious, worried, fearful
- Thankful, appreciative . . . . . . . . . . . Discontent, ungrateful, envious
It is a good thing to remember that God is the one who is at work in you. Where did Paul remind you of this in his letter to you? As you choose to let Him work out His loving desires in your life, you just may find that your reactions and responses are changing. Unlike our personality preferences which are part of our permanent DNA, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and enables us to change our way of thinking and our way of living – day by day.
The big question is “what direction are you headed?” How is your inner “GPS” working these days? Can you hear that still small voice advising you to turn around and recalculate so that you will be headed in the right direction?
