|| Pope Shenouda || Father Matta || Bishop Mattaous || Fr. Tadros Malaty || Bishop Moussa || Bishop Alexander || Habib Gerguis || Bishop Angealos || Metropolitan Bishoy ||
by H.G. Bishop Moussa
Have you ever noticed how many personality types there are? How do they all work together in "One Spirit", so that we - together in harmony - may bear many fruits for God? In this article, His Grace Bishop Moussa discusses the many different personality types, and how God blesses each one with His grace so that we work together in one accord.
One of
the loveliest truths about Christianity is that it does not try to eliminate
man’s individual traits of any type. On the contrary, the grace of God works in
every type of trait to produce many benefits, advantages, and blessings,
whether for the one who possesses these traits, or for his family, his church,
and his country.
The Holy Spirit, who descended on the disciples in the upper room in the form
of a strong wind, included all of them in confirmation of the unity of the body
of Christ. He also quickly alighted upon each of them in the shape of divided
tongues of fire to confirm their individuality, distinctiveness, and
uniqueness.
God certainly does not want to make carbon copies of men, but is happy to deal
with each soul individually. As a wise artist and competent architect, He can
make of every soul a beautiful icon that is an expression of the great skill of
its Creator.
Therefore, regardless of personality type, the Lord is able to sanctify it, and
to bless this type in order to render it blessed and fruitful.
Just as the minister must not try to impose his own personality traits on those
he ministers to, no individual has the right to hate his personality type or
wish he had a different one. This is certainly an indication of a lack of
understanding of the abilities, potentialities and advantages of each
personality type. Society, whether it is the church or the country, needs them
all.
There are many ways of classifying personality types; we give two methods by
way of example:
The First Classification:
The human personality is classified into three types according to the
individual’s dominant activity: rational, sentimental, or striving.
The Rational Personality:
This type is characterized by the dominance of reason, for it does not cease to
study, examine, and analyze. This is a well-read, cultured, educated
personality. Its emotions are generally calm. It is interested in carrying out
analytic and profound studies, whether in individual human life, the life of
groups, or the life of the whole nation.
The Sentimental Personality:
This type is characterized by emotional activity; it is loving and
affectionate, able to make good relations with many, whether in the family
circle, in church, or in society. It is a loving personality and is loved by
many, with overflowing affections, warm feelings, and numerous friendships.
The Striving (Active) Personality:
This type is characterized by great energy, never ceasing its activity and
movement. It cannot bear to be still. It is the right type for trips, parties,
organization, and exhibitions. It is capable of implementing and supervising
various field projects.
The Second Classification:
This second classification is based on the individual’s dominant
characteristics:
The Leadership Personality:
This type has a strong will and self-confidence, and is able to lead others.
Clear vision is one of its assets and it possesses energy, determination,
independence, and its emotions are under control. This type is inclined to work
on its own.
The Sociable Personality:
This personality is characterized by vitality, energy, and the ability to soon
make warm and friendly relations with people. It has many friends, is
enthusiastic, cheerful, and affectionate. It has the tendency to react quickly
and emotionally.
The Perfectionist Personality:
It is gentle and sensitive, thoughtful and creative. It constantly seeks
perfection and what is better. It is self-critical, organized, and analyzes
matters carefully and in detail. It is conscientious and responsible, but is
often self-centered, overcritical, and moody.
The Serene Personality:
It is calm because it controls its feelings and reactions. It is capable and
disciplined, organized, practical, conscientious, and cheerful. It listens
attentively to others and is generally objective. However, it can be slow,
hesitant, and sometimes obstinate and ironic.
God’s Holy Spirit is able to “baptize” any personality whatever its type, for
there is no such thing as a “spiritual personality”, but there is a “garden
full of different types of personality”, some examples of which are:
1. The Rational Personality:
It is capable, with God’s grace, to undertake spiritual, ecclesiastical, and
Biblical studies and research. It constantly studies the Bible and Church
writings, as well as the various Church subjects such as the many different
branches of Theology: theoretical, literary, comparative, doctrinal,
historical, and ritual.
There is no doubt that the Church needs these researchers so that it can learn
about its heritage and face the age it is living in with a solid foundation of
serious studies. The Church also needs them to study the innovations of the
era, whether in philosophy, education, psychology, sociology, medicine,
engineering, or astronomy. It needs their research so that it can determine its
stance on contemporary issues such as space exploration, genetic engineering,
drugs, AIDS, and test-tube babies. These issues need studies and scholars, and
the best ones for the job are the rational, studious personalities.
2. The Sentimental Personality:
It has a significant and effective role to play in ministering to individuals,
in mobilizing groups, and in leading meetings so that they follow a holy and
constructive direction because of its characteristically good relations with
those it ministers to.
The sentimental personalities can build bridges of love and cooperation between
the church and society so that the church is not isolated from its environment,
but on the contrary, participates in the life of the country.
The personal touches of love are essential keys to the heart of man, ”for love
is stronger than death” (Songs 8: 6) and “love never fails” (1 Cor. 13: 8).
3. The Striving Personality:
Its role cannot be ignored, for it organizes conferences, celebrations,
exhibitions, and other church activities at the level of the class, the local
church, the whole church, at both the ecumenical and national levels.
It is an active sociable personality, capable of managing, organizing,
mobilizing and directing the various activities effectively and efficiently,
since it is attentive to all the different aspects of an undertaking.
4. The Leadership Personality:
When the Holy Spirit fills it and His grace works in it, it is used by Him to
lead inside the church and to witness outside it. Leadership is an essential
component of work and service, for without a wise leadership and a sound
vision, the people have a hard time, and some might be lost. God has granted
leadership qualities to certain people from whom He has chosen church leaders
at the different levels of the church hierarchy: the Pope, the bishops, the
clergy, and those responsible for service. Their role will certainly be
effective in service and in encouraging many to work in the Lord’s vineyard and
in building the country.
5. The Sociable Personality:
It can be used by God to bring a great many into the fold of salvation and to
persuade them to lead a sanctified life. It can be instrumental in discovering
the talents, gifts, and capabilities God has given others. They can become
essential building blocks in the Kingdom, useful in attracting souls, in
promoting the unity of the Christian family, in bringing about reconciliation,
and in establishing relations of love and goodwill among all people. All these
are important matters that need a certain type of effective sociable
personality.
6. The Perfectionist Personality:
At the hands of the Holy Spirit, it can be effective in bringing others to
Christian perfection. It can be effective in revising the programs, methods,
and the curricula used in service until they are perfect. It can, with the
grace of God, present a good image of real Christianity, whether in the family,
the church, or society. It is a personality type that is never complacent,
constantly striving for perfection in morals, in service, and in academic
studies.
7. The Serene Personality:
At the hands of the Lord, it is lovely in a world that is confused and
clamorous, full of noise and upheavals and problems. It is this type which is
filled with faith and trust in God’s promises. It is able to transmit calm and
serenity to others, thus becoming a cause of peace of mind to many because it
gives them, from the Lord’s storehouse, a measure of faith that dispels their
worries and lulls their fears. This results in the ability to look ahead and to
take positive steps in order to calmly find solutions to existing problems.
No matter what type of personality we have, the important thing is that it be
anointed by the Holy Spirit to be used by God for the spreading of the kingdom.
Let us all rejoice in the gifts of the Lord and the infinite power of God’s
Spirit to sanctify and consecrate man regardless of personality type and to
make his energy, his talents and gifts fruitful to the glory of His Holy Name.
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