I've been thinking a lot lately about personalities. It is interesting to me to watch how people with different personality types than mine handle situations. Most of the time I don't think there is a right or wrong way to handle situations... just different ways. And that's okay and even good.
But when do we go to far? I mean, when is it wrong to explain away someone's actions by saying "oh, that's just how their personality type handles things!"? Sometimes there is a right and a wrong, I believe. Sometimes we have to work past our tendencies and comfort zone in order to do the right thing. How do we know when that's the case?
I mean, the comfort zone of our personality is a good thing. God gave some of us a personality that tends to be louder and more outspoken and some of us a personality that tends toward being quiet and keeping to themselves. And that's good! We should embrace how God made us! I believe that fully and completely. For a long time I tried and wanted to change myself. I tend to be outspoken and loud (ha! understatement!) and I tried to be quieter... tried to be different. It didn't work! And that is because God has fashioned me how he wants me and I love that!
But (and it's a big one!) I cannot and should not use that as an excuse to be out of control with loudness or to be outspoken when there is a time to keep my mouth shut. Just because we tend toward something doesn't make it right to always be that way. Sometimes God calls us out of the comfort zone of our personality and asks the quiet person to be loud, the shy person to be outspoken, the outspoken person to keep their mouth shut. Sometimes we are to see the weaknesses in our personality tendencies and work through them and try to improve them. If we have a tendency to be unforgiving, we should work toward forgiveness or if we have a tendency toward bitterness we should work toward joy.
How do we know when to move out of our comfort zone? Well, when it comes to our tendencies toward sin or harmful thought processes... the answer is always. I tend toward laziness (I do!) and I have to continually work through that and purposefully try to overcome that. The same is true for gossip, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc. We should always be moving outside our comfort zone in those areas (and more... that was a very short list).
But what if there isn't necessarily a choice that is sin? Some choices just aren't black and white... there isn't a right or wrong. Sometimes it's a choice between good and better or better and best. Sometimes it might not be wrong to speak up, but it would be better to stay quiet. Sometimes it might not be wrong to say yes to serving in an area, but it might be best for your family if you say no. Sometimes is just not simple. So, how do we know what's right?
We pray. Yep. It's simple.
But (and it's another big one) sometimes we don't get an answer... sometimes we pray and we still don't know what to do.
Know what I think we should do then?
Whatever we want. Yep. Sometimes God just lets us pick what we want.
And in those times, a lot of us agonize over figuring out what God is telling us to do when, in reality, He is telling us... He's telling us that He wants us to have the desires of our heart and we should do what we want.
Boy, I hope I don't miss out on a lot of blessings because I'm agonizing over a choice where this is the case.
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