Since teaching a unit about identity and relationships to my high school Seniors, I’ve become more interested in self-awareness. The unit requires them to take a personality test, similar to the Myers Briggs test, and it’s so exciting to see the student’s reactions. Some of them are amazed as to how accurate it is and others feel like it doesn’t properly represent who they are. I don’t feel that there is a test that exists that could define who any of us fully are. We must see such resources as tools to help us discover who we are and not a diagnosis that defines a condition.
After taking a personality test with my students, I discovered I was very much an idealist (16 Personalities). From what I remember, it suggested that I believe there is an ideal that is to be reached. This doesn’t mean I go about accomplishing things in an easy and orderly fashion, but that I believe that there’s a standard to be reached. That seemed fair enough. I do get discouraged when I imagine the way things could be, and one of my biggest fears has always been not living my best life.
However, since discovering the Enneagram I’ve become keenly aware of my inner motivations, which has informed me about my behavior. What it showed me is that I’m not just an idealist, but also an achiever. The type 3 achiever is “motivated by a need for attention and admiration. They strive to be successful and significant to avoid feeling worthless” (Truity). Now, before you judge me, I encourage you to go and take the test for yourself to discover what your inner motivations and fears are. It’s truly enlightening.
My podcast episode, “The Gospel According to Enneagram w/Chris Morris”, dives into these inner motivations and Chris breaks down how each type has a superpower and kryptonite if you will. Therefore, the Enneagram becomes a tool to show us our God-given strengths and our human weaknesses. Each of us has strengths that come naturally to us and weaknesses that we struggle with, but the Gospel is what transforms us to maximize our gifts, though the power of the Holy Spirit while making us aware of our sinful tendencies. Through our conversation, I learned that achievement isn’t a bad thing, but a God-given ability to accomplish great things. However, in an unhealthy state of mind, it can become exhausting when I tie my need to achieve with my desire for praise and appreciation.
Moses had a run-in with self-actualization when he met God at the burning bush in Exodus chapter three. The fact that the bush was on fire but not being consumed piqued his interest enough to go and see what was happening. I’ve always wondered to myself, why a burning bush? Why not send an angel or come to him in a vision or a dream? I believe it’s because he wanted Moses to doubt himself for a moment. You see, I believe when we become too confident in who we are, we miss out on the potential of who God made us be. It’s this self-doubt that causes us to take a second look at how things are going which can give us deeper insight into our lives.
Towards the end of their conversation, God asks Moses to be his spokesperson so he can go tell Pharaoh to let the nation of Israel leave Egypt. Before Moses leaves to hesitantly fulfill his new assignment, he asks God what his name is. The Bible says, “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14). I think this says a lot about God. One person put it like this, “I AM is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God’s existence is not contingent upon anyone else” (Houdmann). I believe one of my college professors put it this way. They said the title of I AM suggests that God is saying, “I’ve been who I’ve been, I am who I am, and I will be whoever I will be”. That is to say, we cannot confine God to be whatever we want Him to be.
If God is self-aware, and we were made in the image of God, then we should be more self-aware too (Genesis 1:27). After all, we are called human beings and not human doings. We were created to be someone and not just do something. No, I’m not suggesting that you stop all that you are doing to go and find yourself. It was through being a shepherd in the wilderness that Moses discovered God and his life’s purpose. What I’m saying is that we are more than what we do.
In the Pixar animation film, WALL-E, we are introduced to this sort of scrap yard robot that lives on a seemingly post-apocalyptic earth. There’s a scene in the movie where he begrudgingly wakes up to go to his job of scrapping. However, while he’s working, he comes across a plant under a pile of junk. When he finds it, he’s amazed because it’s an actual sign that there is still life on planet earth. This realization changed everything in the movie. This would later lead WALL-E, the robot, to discover romance and gave him a higher purpose as well. It was the same for Moses while in the wilderness. He sees nothing but dirt and desert, but when he comes across God, the author of life, he’s is given a renewed purpose.
Notice, Moses could have ignored the burning bush and WALL-E could have ignored the plant, but their decision to stop, take a moment and inspect what they were seeing enabled them to live life more fully. My challenge to you is this, stop mindlessly going through the motions of life and look up to see what God is doing. Your life is too valuable and far too short for you to not care about it. If you feel like you should be doing more with your life, you probably should be. Or if you’re enjoying everything that’s happening, which is great, then make sure you are taking the time to appreciate the journey. Either way, pause and notice what’s happening, otherwise, something great might just pass you by. Self-awareness opens you up to opportunity and opportunity is the zest that keeps life exciting.
Resources:
- “The Gospel According To Enneagram w/Chris Morris” https://www.buzzsprout.com/995131
- Free Personality Test https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
- The Enneagram Personality Test https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test
- WALL-E – Day At Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB8LrCWmGYw
Bibliography
Bible Gateway, NKJV, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%203&version=NKJV.
“Free Personality Test | 16 Personalities.” 16 Personalities, NERIS Type Explorer, https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test.
Houdmann, Michael S. “What is the meaning of I AM WHO I AM in Exodus 3:14?” GotQuestions.org, CEO, S. Michael Houdmann, https://www.gotquestions.org/I-AM-WHO-I-AM-Exodus-3-14.html.
Truity. “Enneagram Type 3: The Achiever.” Truity, https://www.truity.com/enneagram/personality-type-3-achiever.
Zachary Surovec 