56: What Helps You Remember?

For most of my life, I have been fascinated by personality tests, mostly because I love learning more about myself and others. As a teenager, that usually looked like me and my friends taking fun tests in the back of magazines. But over the years, that evolved into online tests like, which Disney Princess are you? Or identify your inner Office character. 

As I’ve grown older, I’ve taken and become aware of more insightful personality assessments, some you are probably familiar with. There’s the in-depth Myers Briggs or the DiSC. The Enneagram, while it’s not necessarily a personality test, has been all the rage recently. And, if you’ve spent some time in the church, you’ve probably taken a Spiritual Gifts test at one point or another. 

There is something intriguing about trying to figure ourselves out. Trying to understand what makes us tick, why we feel the way we feel and act the way we act. Sure, it can be fun and interesting, but it can also be incredibly helpful as we seek to grow into the people God calls us to be and as we seek to be in relationship with other people who might not be wired exactly the same way. And, believe it or not, it can also be helpful in our relationship with God.

Each episode, I mention that life often makes it easy to forget - to forget the truth about who God is and who we are called to be. We are prone to forget, and it’s important to pay attention to what helps us remember. Because the truth is, we don’t all connect with God in the same way. God connects with each of us differently. Uniquely. And the way we each feel connected to God matters.

One of my professors, Keas Keasler, has explored this and identified what he calls nine Spiritual Personalities. They are adapted from a book by Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways, and acknowledging these personalities has been super helpful in my own life recently. So today, I would love to share them with you.

Before I do, though, I want to offer a few (what I hope are) helpful disclaimers. First, there is not a test you can take that will identify your spiritual personality (or personalities) for you. It’s really about each of us discerning and paying attention to what is life-giving, paying attention to what reminds us of the presence of God. Second, yes, I did just say personalities plural because many people resonate with a few different personalities, not just one. And your personalities can change over time, so it’s healthy to reflect and reevaluate every now and then. Finally, this list is not exhaustive - so if you find yourself not really resonating with any of them, that’s okay. You are still you. Maybe consider what you would add to the list based on how God tends to connect with you.

All that to say, my hope is that these personalities would be a helpful tool. Nothing more, nothing less. And my hope is that recognizing how we are wired would help us remember. So, without further ado, here are nine different Spiritual Personalities:

• A Naturalist feels closest to God in the out-of-doors, in the midst of creation. Whether it’s the mountains, forest, or ocean, being in nature awakens this person to God’s presence and beauty.

• A Traditionalist loves God through the historic dimensions of the faith like rituals, symbols, and liturgy. This person would probably enjoy praying the Psalms, following fixed-hour prayer, and celebrating the seasons of the liturgical calendar.

• A Contemplative seeks God through quieter disciplines such as solitude, silence, meditation, and journaling.

• A Visionary loves God by dreaming a great dream and setting out to accomplish it. This person feels God’s presence and delight as they
  use their gifts for the kingdom.

• A Socialite connects with God best around other people, journeying with and confiding in them. For this person, community plays a vital
  role in experiencing God’s presence.

• An Intellectual loves God through using their mind to think deeply about God and matters of theology. For this person, “faith” is something to be understood as much as experienced.

• A Caregiver loves God by being compassionate and loving others even if it means significant sacrifice. This person believes they are serving Christ when they serve those who are in need, and (this is key) they find those acts to be energizing rather than draining.

• A Worshiper experiences God through joyful celebration and music. This person wants to linger in the awe, beauty, and splendor of God, and loves to express adoration for God through songs or art.

• An Activist loves God by fighting injustice. This person is compelled by a vision of the world where God’s Kingdom is fully present, and they feel they must stand up for the marginalized and confront those individuals and systems who oppress others.

So, there are the nine Spiritual Personalities. If you’re feeling like you relate to all of them, well, that makes sense. The truth is, we were created to engage all of them in some way, shape or form. For instance, a Contemplative still needs to be in relationship and community, even if they don’t resonate primarily with the Socialite and vice versa. Resonating with one or two doesn’t mean we get to ignore all the others.

However, it is helpful to identify perhaps a top three if you can, just as a starting point. Doing so allows us to hone in and cultivate a meaningful connection. It helps to remind us that the presence of God is laced all throughout our daily lives.

And so, what might this mean for our actual lives? Well, I will tell you that 30 minutes before this recording, I was sitting on my back porch. After a very long day, I needed to listen to the birds and watch the trees. I’m a Naturalist and that helps me remember God. I was intentionally alone without my phone, because I’m also a Contemplative, and that helps me remember God, too. And then I came in and prepared to record this episode, because I also resonate with the Visionary, and creating each episode of the remind{h}er podcast helps me remember. 

Because I have been able to name my Spiritual Personalities during this particular season, I’ve also been able to lean into who I am and how I am best able to remember God and who God calls me to be. At the same time, I’ve also been able to recognize and appreciate those I know who have different Spiritual Personalities. Instead of jumping to conclusions, I’m able to consider what I could learn and how I might grow.

But most importantly, in many ways, our unique connections with God help us find refuge in a world that right now, quite frankly, is swirling and pounding and beating us down. 

I’m reminded of the words of the psalmist from Psalm 46: 1-7:

1 

God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble.

2 

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 

though its waters roar and foam

    and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

4 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 

God is within her, she will not fall;

    God will help her at break of day.

6 

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 

The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our refuge.

God is our refuge. Our connections with God are vital in a world that just won’t seem to back off or give us a minute. We find peace and strength and clarity and courage when we are mindful of God’s presence, always with us. And it’s through those connections that we are enabled to be the people God calls us to be.

So today, if you’re feeling knocked down or prone to forget, remember what helps you remember. When or how do you feel most connected to God, most aware of God’s presence in your life? May we lean in to who we are, prioritizing those connections, and in doing so, may we find refuge and renewed strength.