2. My relational capacity includes my personality (how I relate to others) and my spirituality (how I relate to God).
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
How would you describe your personality?
Is your relationship with God similar to your relationship with others? In what way(s)?
Are you aware of any particular ways that you connect with God?
What do you think of the idea that these ways in which you connect with God might reflect your “spirituality”?
All humans possess the ability to hold relationships with others, but not every person relates to others in the same way. In the study of human nature, psychologists point out that each person has their own way of connecting with others; this is referred to as one’s personality. Most people are familiar with personality descriptions like “introvert” and “extrovert,” but these are only two of the many descriptions of personality types.
Although each person is created with a unique personality and no two people’s personality is exactly like another’s, our personalities often share distinctives with other’s. Personality tests like Myers Briggs, MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), and the Enneagram help us understand our personality similarities. We each have a personality that shapes our relationships with others but we also have a spirituality that shapes our relationship with God.
The word “spirituality” here refers to the unique way that each individual is created that helps them connect with God. Just as there are certain personality types, so also are there certain spirituality types. Richard Foster in his book, Streams of Living Water, notes six ways that people tend to connect with God.
The contemplative way reflects those who enjoy quietness, solitude, meditation, and prayer.
The holiness “stream” includes people who practice disciplines like fasting, self-control, and simplicity and who strive to have purity in thought and motives.
People who resonate with the incarnational tradition enjoy liturgical practices, art, and hospitality, and they seek to include Jesus in their normal daily activities.
The charismatic way includes people who seek to live in the power of the Spirit; they may enjoy supernatural expressions of God’s presence and also experience God’s help in their normal earthly struggles.
The social justice tradition includes those who experience God by joining Him in His work in correcting the injustices and inequalities in the social systems of their community, nation and world. Finally,
the evangelical stream includes those who connect with God through His written word and by sharing their faith with others. These six streams or spirituality types are helpful in understanding the different possibilities for our spirituality, but they are not a complete or exhaustive description. Gary Thomas in his book, Sacred Pathways, uses
the concept of “pathways” to God to describe spirituality. Thomas lists nine pathways, some of which are similar to those presented by Foster, but he adds ones like “naturalist” (those who connect with God through nature), “sensate” (those who connect with God through beauty and feelings), and “caregivers” (those who experience God by caring for others).
What is important to understand is that each of us, at conception, receives a God-given spirituality, a unique set of personal characteristics that help us connect with God and participate in a meaningful relationship with Him.