I was listening the other day to Pastor Ron Carpenter Jr. (an acquaintance of mine, I knew his father) online and he said something that caught my attention. He said, "Wisdom understands difference." And this phrase has been floating around in my brain ever since. I've been praying for several years that God would help give me wisdom when it comes to sharing His love with other people. I believe that I need wisdom to do so. You see, I do not want to be the person that someone points to and says "I have no desire to know God because of my interaction with her. " That would be a tragedy. I believe that understanding the differences in people helps me to have wisdom in my interactions with others. But to truly understand the differences, I must first understand myself.
Which leads me to the ENTJ portion of my title. ENTJ refers to my Meyers Brigs Personality type. It's a test (brief and fun) that you can take to determine your personality type. I took my first one over 25 years ago (holy smokes!). As part of my sons college prep course, he had to take one the other day. Since he was doing it, I decided to retake mine, to see if it had changed. No, I am still the same, just hopefully a little wiser. (If you would like to take a free test go to 16personalities.com).
I'll give you a brief rundown on what the letters mean:
The first two letters represent your interaction with people. You are either an E or I.
E- Extroverted: Prefers group activities, thinks while speaking, energized by social interaction
I - Introverted: Prefers solitary activities, thinks about answers before speaking, exhausted by social interaction
The next two letters N & S have to do with how we see the world and process information. You are either an N or S.
N - Intuitive: Imaginative, relies on intuition, gets absorbed in ideas, Focuses on what might happen
S- Observant: Down to earth, relies on senses, absorbed in practical matters, focuses on what has happened
The next two letters focus on how we make decisions and cope with emotions. You are either a T or F.
T- Thinking: tough, follow their minds, focus on objectivity and rationality
F- Feeling: Sensitive, follow their hearts, Focus on harmony and cooperation
The last two letters have to do with how you approach work, planning, and decision making. You are either a J or P.
J- Judging: Decisive, prefer clear rules and guidelines, sees deadlines as sacred, seeks closure
P-Prospecting: Good at improvising, prefer to keep their options open, relaxed about work, seeks freedom
ENTJ Characteristics- A natural leader. Strategic thinker and planner. Fiercely independent (what me?), Open- minded, Analytical, Embraces rationality and impartiality, Strong willed (phttttt) Imaginative, Energetic, Outgoing, Innovative, Forward-thinking, Visionary, Bold, Blunt, Ambitious, Organized (I have seriously labeled all the cabinets and drawers in my kitchen. It's a sickness.), Decisive, Natural problem solver, Values learning, Excels in intellectual debates, Communicative, Strong ability to analyze what is wrong and put together a plan to solve the problem, Far more interested in what works than what satisfies everybody. Recognizes learning opportunities. Values people who they can learn from. Willing to change ideas/thoughts/goals if someone comes up with a better, more logical, one.
A few other interesting facts: ENTJ's are extremely rare, about 1% of the female population. Hmmmmmm…. that explains a few things. They are the least likely of personality types to believe in a higher power (which attests to God's amazing power to bring change in an individual, namely me). They have no patience for red tape, task redundancy and aimless confusion. They prefer logic over emotion. They tend to end up in leadership roles in everything they do. They have no need for emotional reassurance from others.
Nothing drives me Caged Cat Screaming crazy like clubs/organizations/businesses that have no form of organization, no desire to change the status quo (because we've always done it this way) even though it is ineffective, redundant, full of illogical rules and emotionally driven instead of logically and goal driven, is complacent and reluctant to learn, refuses to look towards the future, and refuses to engage the community around them in a meaningful and helpful way (being careful to not waste their time). Oh, and put me on the Board of said club/organization/business in a position (usually entitled secretary) that has no authority or way to create needed change and my only job is to record and regurgitate in some form of "notes" the redundant and ineffectual tasks because I'm a girl and that's the girls position. Been there. Tried to do that. And I have decided that I would rather be pecked to death by ducks than EVER, EVER, EVER do that again. Ugh!
So what does all this mean? Well, it doesn't mean anything if I don't also understand my weaknesses. My greatest weakness is in the emotional and sensitivity side, in that, I don't naturally have one. I don't tend to react well in cases where I can't solve the problem (such as taking away someone's pain) or in cases where people keep repeating the same mistake over and over, or in areas where high emotion is involved. It's not that I don't have emotion, I just don't know what to do with some of it- especially if I can't solve the problem. Unfortunately, what is needed to relate to people - to show them God's love- are things like empathy, compassion, and a willingness to let God solve the problem instead of me. It is my greatest struggle in life to embrace this side of people. And thus my need to pray and ask for wisdom and understanding with the end goal being to love others.
So what's an ENTJ to do? Well, being true to my nature, I recognized and analyzed the problem, formed a plan, and took off like a boss to meet my end goal (and yes, I am making fun of myself here). And then God sent me a son who is an ESFJ. Oh lord! I have a son that relies on his senses and his heart to make decisions. He's a hugger! He's a natural born leader-- just leaning more towards feelings than towards logic. And he is still, to this day, my biggest teacher on how to understand and value differences in people. I greatly value the lessons taught to me by my son about empathy, harmony, cooperation, and nurturing. ( In case you were wondering, my husband is an INTJ- which is a personality type that I instinctively understand.)
So, I'm still praying for wisdom. I am gaining wisdom by learning who I am. By grasping my strengths and weaknesses. And through it all, I'm beginning to understand that true wisdom understands difference. By understanding the differences in people, I can then begin to love them and value them as God does. I still don't have it all together or understand it all, but I am willing to try. I am willing to let God transform me into who I need to be in order to reach out to others around me. I believe that love is the only force capable of transforming anyone.
My challenge to you is to start by understanding yourself, and then ask for the wisdom to understand others.
I'll leave you with a few photos from the Chihuly Gardens and Glass gallery in Seattle. What I like about these pieces is that they consist of many uniquely different parts, none of them perfect on their own, yet together they somehow blend and make a beautiful piece of artwork.
Have a good day!
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