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Are you contented with the way God created you? I want to encourage you to be contented with who you are, but not where you are. Like the way God created you, but also strive to be everything God created you to be. An area where you may be discontented is your personality.
Your Personality
Each of us is unique; God doesn’t make cookie-cutter Christians. Some of us are “people people;” some are “project people.” Some are extroverts, others are introverts. There are many variations in the personalities God has created. Are you content with the personality God has given you?
I think of my friend, Afton, who thought for years that being an introvert was a huge liability. But thankfully she has learned to appreciate the way God created her and she recognizes the many strengths she has because she is quiet and reserved. She has written a book about it, Living Connected: An Introvert’s Guide to Friendship. It’s a very helpful book not only for introverts, but it helps those of us who are not introverts to appreciate and admire those who are.
My discontent with my personality was the opposite. I felt I was too up front, too take charge, too much of an extrovert, and for years I tried to be different—and of course, I failed. I remember thinking that sadly, I was stuck with who I was. It has taken me far too long to appreciate the personality God has given to me.
The challenge is to be contented with who you are but not where you are in your growth. Focus on the personality flaws that accompany your personality, pray about them, and ask God to help you get rid of the rough edges. For example, I don’t have a natural gift of mercy, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be a merciful person. It’s a weakness I have acknowledged and prayed about, because I need to be merciful as God is merciful to me.
There is wonderful freedom in accepting who you are. Freedom from having to live up to other’s expectations—or even your own. Freedom from having to be like others or compete with others.