Thursday God works through different people in different ways. 1 Corinthians 12:6 (PH) I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world. Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT) Reflection: The fourth component of your God given SHAPE is your personality. Once again (as was the case with our heart and our gifts/abilities) it’s obvious that we have different personalities. And let’s face it… some of us have personality with a capital “P”! But no matter what your personality is- God gave it to you for a reason. Remember the whole point of your SHAPE? To make you just the right person to fit into His Story. That means your personality is part of God’s plan- the plan He made before He even created the world. How does that make you feel? Does it make you wonder if God knew what He was doing? I have to admit… sometimes I’ve wondered that myself. I know you’ve been there too. How can God use that kind of personality to work out His plan (sometimes we’re even thinking of our own personalities when we ask that question… aren’t we)? I remember one day we were driving down the road (Judy, Jonathan & I) and Jonathan was doing something irritating designed to get on his mom’s nerves (he’s pretty good at that as it turns out) and Judy finally said, “Jonathan, shut your pie hole”! I was a little taken aback and looked at Judy, then Jonathan. Jonathan didn’t seem upset by Judy’s remark- as a matter of fact he was smiling. But perhaps the most amazing thing was… he had stopped his irritating behavior. When Judy saw that I was confused she said that earlier that day she had told Jonathan to “be quiet” in a very stern voice. Jonathan had told her that his feelings had been hurt so Judy asked how he would like her to let him know that enough was enough and it was time for him to be quiet. Jonathan had seen a cartoon where someone had said, “shut your pie hole” and he thought that was pretty funny so he asked Judy if she could say that? Judy agreed and they had found a great way of communicating with each other- but newcomers are always surprised when they hear that phrase coming out of Judy’s mouth. This is a pretty good example of 1 Corinthians 2:11: No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone. Janet (Judy’s sister) later heard Judy tell Jonathan to shut his pie hole. She was more than a little surprised but she knew Judy and Jonathan so it didn’t take long for her to figure out what was really going on. But what about when you hear Judy say that to Jonathan? What will your reaction be? Usually we assume we know why people say the things they say… sometimes even when they explain what they were really thinking we continue to believe we know what they were really thinking. What causes these kinds of misunderstandings? A big part of it is personality. God says you can’t know what someone else is thinking so you might as well stop trying. Why not take each other at your word? Why not assume they have a good reason for saying or doing whatever it is they’re saying or doing? 1 Corinthians 12:6 says: God works through different people in different ways. Isn’t that an understatement? And really, if you’re honest about it aren’t you glad? How boring would it be on this earth if everyone was like you? Sure, you may like it for a little while but eventually you’d get awfully tired of it. Why is it that so many of us are married to our polar opposites (personality speaking)? It’s because we see the benefit to the different personality types. So does God. Have you ever taken a good look at the kinds of people God uses in the Bible to play parts (both big and small) in His Story? Think about it… David was probably manic depressive. He was either in the courts of God praising the wonderful creation and caring of the almighty God or he was in the depths of despair asking God to kill his enemies which were numerous. Jeremiah was always depressed as far as I can tell (with good reason, but still). Elijah was another that sounds manic depressive (read the story of his defeat of the prophets of Baal and then see what happens in the next chapter). Paul was a “get things done” kind of person who expected no breaks and gave none either. Barnabas (whose name means encouragement) was all about giving second and third chances. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. God can and does use all kinds of people. And aren’t you glad he does? What if God had decided Paul was too strict and so He didn’t want to use him? What if God had decided Barnabas was too easy going and so He wouldn’t use him? What if… again I think you get the picture. God wants to use you too. He made you the way you are on purpose (I know… “WHAT WAS HE THINKING!?!?!?!”). He kind of likes you- as a matter of fact He considers you a “masterpiece” (read Ephesians 2.10 again). I don’t care how much of a drawback you consider your personality to be… God gave it to you for a reason- so you could use it to play your part in His Story. p.s. So does that mean I don’t have to deal with the limitations of my personality flaws? Nope. God still expects you to work on your weaknesses even as you accept them. Maybe you feel like Paul in Romans 7:24: Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?£ Ever feel that way? Yeah, me too. So what’s the answer? Do I just give in? Not on your life. God wants you to work on the weaknesses even as you accept that you have them. Sound impossible? That may be but look at Matthew19:26 where Jesus talks about what to do in seemingly impossible situations: With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. So what’s the answer? Let God perform surgery on you… He’s still in the life changing business. He’s still the only One who can really change you. And He’s the only one who can do the impossible… let Him. Prayer: Father, I know you gave me this personality… what I have done with it may not always have been part of Your plan, but today I intend to use my personality to make You proud. Show me how to do that. In Jesus Name, amen.
Posted on: Fri, 16 May 2014 07:52:33 +0000
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