How My Personality Affects My Prayers
“Often times we gravitate towards scripture that’s easy to apply in our lives”
The prayer wasn’t targeted at me, but it felt like it! My brother-in-law Martin then continued his prayer with these verses:
Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
After reading these verses, Martin prayed for comfort for those of us in the group waiting, whether for test results or housing situations or health problems that were yet to be figured out. The power of this prayer really hit home when he said:
“Because I am not a worrier, these verses are easier for me to put into action. We have a lot of personalities in the room, and God brings us all together to compliment and uplift each other.”
It struck me that he called out and addressed the fact he was praying in line with his personality and natural tendency to not worry. This made me think: How is my personality influencing my prayers to God? As human beings we are created to be relational. If I want a good and accurate picture of how I could be relating to God, both good and bad, I think it’s good to do an appropriate amount of self-examination and evaluate how I’m relating to those around me because often, for me at least, there is a strong correlation between the two. Our heart towards God and our hearts towards those around us.
For example, it was an eye-opening experience in my young adult life when I realized that I was interacting with my introverted younger sister, as an extrovert myself, I expected extroverted responses from her! After an argument or disagreement, I would want to stay and talk things out immediately. She wanted time and space to sort through her thoughts and feelings so she could respond rationally. If that is an introvert's 1st response, it would be my extroverted version of “I’m done with you, we’re not talking.” because time and space are my last resort, and a sign that we cannot resolve things from my perspective.
Needless to say, this difference in our personalities caused tension and unnecessary discord. It wasn’t until I really understood the thought process of this whole other gang of wild things called introverts, that I knew how to interact with my sister. It was important for me to learn how I think and feel is not the same for her. I needed to have enough self-awareness to give her what she needed for the health of our relationship. I couldn’t treat her differently than I would like to be treated.
1 Corinthians 12:27 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? …...If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
I am part of a whole body! Just one piece in the mosaic.
Growing up, I remember watching some of my friends' parents, parent within the confines of their personality. The mercy's were quick to forgive and overlook an offense (even to the point of their child swinging and smacking them in the face). This does no service to the child in need of discipline, not mercy. The other extreme would be the strict, law-and-order parents who are always quick to find fault with their child and deal out consequences accordingly, with little-to-no room for grace.
1 Corinthians 9: 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
When we understand our own propensity towards thinking only how we naturally think, when we have one narrow-minded way of thinking, we limit our ability to be all things to all people. The road to change to find the middle ground, the balance, starts with a healthy level of self-evaluation and awareness, and a desire to grow into focused effort. Then this awareness, Lord willing, leads to an ability to understand and relate to all personalities and give grace.
We as believers are all each and individually a little piece of glass in the mosaic picture of the church, while God himself is not a mosaic! He is complete, lacking nothing and that’s his desire for us
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
I need to see the contrasting colors in the mosaic I am in, as helping make up the image of his bride as whole, while on a personal level striving to mirror the image of God in his completeness. I imagine God’s mosaic as a brilliant glowing white, that’s almost too bright to look at. And our mosaic is a mirage of every color and we are going through the sanctification process trying to slowly blend our colors until they resemble the king’s brilliant white.
What does that mean for how I Pray?
So if I’m one colored piece of glass in a mosaic, working to blend my contribution with those around me to reflect Christ’s likeness, what does that mean for how I pray? How should I understand my strengths and weaknesses in the context of how I approach the throne of the Most High?
If you’ve read more than maybe one of my blog posts you might gather I have a heavy focus on the relational and emotional aspects of my relationship with God and people. While this can be a strength, I need to make effort to find balance in this before God in how I pray, so I think the downside of this for me is too much emphasis on the emotional and how I feel, instead of relying on God’s unchanging nature and his love towards me that is not swayed by circumstances. I may feel distant and pray from that place that asks “God please be close” when he didn’t go anywhere and what I should be praying is “God, change my heart”.
I’m so thankful that God has placed my little piece of colored glass alongside so many other pieces that can model this stability for me in the way they naturally pray, as we all work to blend together into a beautiful picture of the bride of Christ.