Part 12: Personality and Identity

Part 12: Personality and Identity

I have done a number of personality tests in the past. They are fun to do and they give a good indication of my personality. In DISC profiling test, I'm a DS. It's a conflicting personality, because D and S are the exact opposite. As a DS, I have totally no problem sitting in a cafe all by myself, having a cup of latte while reading a book. I'm very comfortable being alone and not talking to anyone. But when I head a team or a project, it is natural for me to function as a D.

In the past, I lived according to my personality. I would not talk to anyone. I didn't want to. It wasn't comfortable. But now, I'm very comfortable talking to anyone. There is hardly anyone I can't talk to, by the grace and the transformation of God. Why? Because I'm walking in a higher truth than my personality - my true identity.

Presenting and demonstrating the Gospel to people is not reserved for a certain personality. It's for every believer. Else the Great Commission would have been, "Therefore, only for those of you who are extroverted, go and preach the Gospel to all creation..."

DISC and other personality tests are not the most accurate gauge on who we really are. They may be true in some ways psychologically, but they may also hinder our true identity.

I have heard many people say, "I can't do that. It's just not my personality. I don't feel comfortable. That's not me."

That may sound true but it's not the truth.

While God can work through our personality, He is not limited by our personality.

To be put in a place outside of our personality will make us uncomfortable. But that's the reason why the Comforter (Holy Spirit) is with us. If we are always comfortable, we don't need Him.

Besides, Phil 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

To focus on our personality apart from our identity is to focus on the old self. It boils down to self-image. Self-consciousness. Self... That old self was crucified with Christ on the Cross.  Stop resurrecting what had died. The new self is created in the image of Christ.

To be Christ-like is to be like Christ. It's to go beyond our personality and walk in our identity.

My personality may be close to a DS (DISC profile), but I'm much more than a DS. I am called to represent Christ. Christ is not a DS. He is the fullness of God manifested.

The next time someone says to you, "This is my personality. I can't help it." You reply, "You are far more than this. Your potential is all that Christ is."

Our personality cannot be "larger" than our identity in Christ. #identity