Where Personality Stops and Shortcomings Begin
Seeking God to Know the Real You
Tim and I have been married a long time. I mean a loooonngg… time. I know some of you have us beat, but thirty years is longer than either of us feel old enough to account for! How did this happen? One year after another, walking hand in hand, trying to never let go of our grip on one another, primarily by each of us gripping hard to the Lord who walks this journey with us.
Of course, with thirty years of marriage, we’ve both had tremendously wonderful days and some exceeding trying days. We’ve both loved each other to the best of our ability and grieved when we’ve fallen short and hurt one another. It’s bound to happen, you know. Two humans knitted together by the Spirit of God display the beauty of God, but the human side of each of us can also come into the limelight at times, displaying our brokenness.
The other night, the Hubs and I were reminiscing a bit, mulling over old memories, reminding each other of the beauty of our love story. Tim mentioned that he regretted one particular shortcoming of his. I mirrored his statement with a regretful statement of my own shortcoming, a personality trait I’m least fond of.
He shrugged. Clearly, it is a bigger deal in my eyes than his.
Then he said the most profound thing: “All you have to do is pray and ask the Lord if He created you to be that way.”
Wow. This girl that I am, this one who loves to tweak, to improve, to make things as God-glorifying as possible, needed to hear that. I needed to hear that paradigm shifting statement that made me question my constant tweaking and exchange it for acceptance.
In fact, it was this very trait, the tweaking and improving, that I had been bemoaning.
Maybe I need to put down the hammer and chisel and recognize the work of art that the Master created.
After 30 years of marriage, the Hubs and I both have had wonderful days and some exceeding trying days. The other night, we were reminiscing a bit, reminding each other of the beauty of our love story. He mentioned regretting one particular shortcoming of his. I mirrored his statement with a regretful statement of my own shortcoming. He shrugged. Then he said the most profound thing....
Of course, all things must be held in the beautiful tension that makes the work of art able to be recognizable as a product of the Master. There is room for my tweaking, but not perfectionism that eats away at the soul. We want to refine, to remove any excess flesh, but we don’t need to reshape what the Master Craftsman created.
What about your personality?
Do you find yourself frustrated with your laid back, laissez faire attitude? Isn’t there a glimpse of the Master’s handiwork in your ability to trust that things are moving along as the Lord wants (notwithstanding that He may sometimes want you to get up and cooperate actively with Him)?
What about the one who is sensitive and empathetic, able to be the best listener? That reminds me of the constant Listener and Comforter who designed that softness yet wants to strengthen you to not be overly led by your feelings.
And if you are the go-getter, the mission-minded? Naturally, the God who created the world in six days and sets purpose in the hearts of humankind can catch His reflection in you, especially as you remember that even God rested.
On and on the list could go.
After 30 years of marriage, the Hubs and I both have had wonderful days and some exceeding trying days. The other night, we were reminiscing a bit, reminding each other of the beauty of our love story. He mentioned regretting one particular shortcoming of his. I mirrored his statement with a regretful statement of my own shortcoming. He shrugged. Then he said the most profound thing....
Maybe it’s time for you, too, to take another look at what you have considered weaknesses and see them instead through the eyes of your Creator. Is it time to ask the Lord His intention in creating you with the angles and edges you have? It may be time to smooth rough edges while maintaining the Creator’s original vision.
God created you. He loves what He created. When He created you, He called it, “Good!” He delights in you! Can we step back, before we belittle the creation, and see His fingerprints? And, dare I ask, can we do it for others as well?
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:13-14
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