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PROGRAM D-7257
Accept but don’t settle! Accept and appreciate who you are; enjoy the way God has created you; rejoice in your uniqueness. But never be willing to settle for where you are in your Christian walk.
One of the things you need to accept is your own personality. You are unique; God doesn’t make cookie-cutter Christians. And your personality is a key part of your identity. Some of us are people persons; some are project people. Some of us are out-going and gregarious. Others are reserved and quiet. Some are leaders; others are followers. There are many variations in the personalities God has given us.
And each personality has its strengths. For example, a gregarious, out-going person makes friends easily and puts people at ease. But the quiet, reserved person is a very good listener who people turn to when they need a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen. Because they are quiet, they rarely hurt people’s feelings or cause confrontations. They are often peacemakers.
Now, tell the truth, are you content with the personality God has given you? Do you even know what it’s like? You should, and you should appreciate that personality. For many years I thought my take-charge entrepreneur type personality was a mistake; it seemed to me that women shouldn’t be like me. But I’ve come to really appreciate this personality, as unusual as it may be at times, and I like the way God has made me.
However, one thing I never want to do is settle. I want to be happy with who I am but not where I am in my growth. I know that there are some serious personality flaws that accompany my personality. And it is my responsibility to be aware of these personality flaws and work on them. Just because I’m a project oriented person doesn’t give me an excuse for being insensitive to people. No, I’m not going to settle for where I am. I’m not going to use the old excuse, “Well, that’s just the way I am!” I want to polish that personality so that the defects and problems that exist will be gradually weakened and eliminated.
Second Corinthians 3:18 says we are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ with ever-increasing glory. I don’t have to change my personality to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus. I just have to polish the rough edges and continually work on the weak areas.
Do you know the weak areas of your own personality? You should. And then regularly pray that God will help you accept that personality, but never settle for anything less than being like Jesus.