ENFJ - The Giver

WEEK 2

Your personality type is ENFJ.
extroverted (E) 57% (Introverted (I) 43%)
Intuitive (N) 64% (Sensing (S) 36%)
Feeling (F) 95% (Thinking (T) 5%)
Judging (J) 64% (Perceiving (P) 36%)

and for an explanation of that...
http://typelogic.com/enfj.html

Famous people with the same type...
King David of Israel
Abraham Lincoln
Ronald Reagan
Andy Griffith
Dick Van Dyke
Sean Connery
Oprah Winfrey
Johnny Depp
Bob Saget
Michael Jordan
Kirstie Alley
Ben Affleck and
Matthew McConaughey.

Now I know why I like those people! :D LOL

And career paths for "ENFJ - The Giver"...
http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFJ_car.html

Just in case you don't want to click on the links...here's a rundown of "ME".

ENFJs generally have the following traits:
Genuinely and warmly interested in people
Value people's feelings
Value structure and organization
Value harmony, and good at creating it (Can I say AMEN here?)
Exceptionally good people skills
Dislike impersonal logic and analysis
Strong organizational capabilities
Loyal and honest
Creative and imaginative
Enjoy variety and new challenges
Get personal satisfaction from helping others
Extremely sensitive to criticism and discord (AMEN again!)
Need approval from others to feel good about themselves

Out of the four basic Temperaments, I am a Guardian.

Guardians are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions. Guardians have natural talent in managing goods and services--from supervision to maintenance and supply--and they use all their skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities, schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses.
Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel. Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly--they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world.
Practical and down-to-earth, Guardians believe in following the rules and cooperating with others. They are not very comfortable winging it or blazing new trails; working steadily within the system is the Guardian way, for in the long run loyalty, discipline, and teamwork get the job done right. Guardians are meticulous about schedules and have a sharp eye for proper procedures. They are cautious about change, even though they know that change can be healthy for an institution. Better to go slowly, they say, and look before you leap.
Guardians make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population.

Study/application questions: (AKA phrases posed as a question to make you THINK!)

How does your specific personality affect how you relate to those around you?
These questions are really tough to answer. I know that my personality sometimes gets me into trouble with MG because I am always trying to be the peacemaker. If he is reprimanding the kids, I "jump in" and try to mediate. Which, unfortunately, looks like I'm usurping his authority. We want to make this TEAM approach a reality. It's ULTRA important.

How does it affect how you relate to other Christians?
Once again, conflict is a tough concept for me. I don't like it AT ALL, so I tend to be judgmental when other Christians bicker amongst themselves instead of being about the Father's business. There are better ways to expend that energy. I am NOT Perfect by any means and I am NOT always "about my Father's business" as I should be.
Once I read something written by Max Lucado. He was telling a story of a fishing trip he went on as a boy with a friend and the friend's father. It rained the entire trip and they sat inside the tent for days. Predictably, the interpersonal relationships deteriorated rather quickly. And he made this point...which is also true of churches that are stagnant..."When those who are called to fish DON'T fish, they fight!" That phrase really stuck in my mind because my church family was living it. Bigtime.

Non-Christians?
I've been told I come across as a "goody two shoes" type. And a "Super Mom". Because I have such a hard time saying "No". I give and give and serve on this board and that committee and volunteer here and there.

How does it affect your ministry?
Because I tend to look "too perfect" others feel they cannot "measure up". I'm NOT all that. In fact, I'm one of the biggest sinners around. When my goof-ups come out, it looks like an EVEN bigger fault because they thought I was all that in the first place. Is this coming out at all intelligently?

Did you recognize anyone elseÂ’s personality when looking over the types?
No, I didn't go into this study to look at other people so that didn't even cross my mind.

How might this affect how you relate to them?
I tend to be more introspective; I take the blame and wonder what I did wrong when things don't work right. Therefore, looking at someone else's personality and how I would relate to that is difficult for me.

How does you personality affect your relationship to the Lord?
Even though I have the "servant's heart", oftentimes I find I don't have the "servant's Attitude". I do the "WHY isn't anyone helping me?!?" thing WAAAaaaay too often. Therefore, I need to take that "garbage out to the curb" on a regular basis! He must get so tired of my repeated pleas for forgiveness for my snotty attitude. Yet He forgives me over and over again.
The world says "when someone helps you, you owe them", but I LOVE it when God nudges my heart to do something for someone. It feels SO wonderful to be able to help when someone is hurting. I've learned to THANK the Lord for those opportunities because recently, I have had to be the RECIPIENT of that type of help. I don't like that! I want to be the GIVER not the receiver! I fought that tooth-and-nail. NO, Father. Stop!!
But then itoccurredd to me that as much as I enjoy the helping and giving...others do, too! That I was robbing others of that "joy of giving" by being stubborn unto myself and protesting or arguing when they tried to help me.
I think that has been a big part of what the last 18 months has brought...a lesson in humility. In allowing others to share the joy; in learning to just simply say "Thank you So MUCH!"
I will have a chance to pay back some day...when someone else needs something I can give. I will say "this is because one day, long ago, someone helped me. So here I am! One day, you will be able to pass it on!" How cool is that?