I've always been intrigued by personality studies! There are several different ones... each with different labels for the 4 different personality types! My favorite is the study done by Gary Smalley which refer to each personality type as different animals! They are as follows:
Lion (also referred to as Choleric)
Otter (also referred to as Sanguine)
Golden Retriever (also referred to as Melancholy)
Beaver(also referred to as Phlegmatic)
I am a Golden Retriever! No doubt in my mind about it... always have been! I took this test as a teenager and the results were the same! As an adult it portrays itself differently than it did as a teenager but for sure and for certain that is me that big ol' Melancholy! I've often heard people refer to this as though it is a negative thing! I will be the first to admit that it definitely has its downsides, however, there are so many positive aspects of being Melancholy that I wanted to share!
God has created each of us individually and I believe that none of us can fully put ourselves in a little tiny box labeled any one thing. We are each fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator! He has a specific reason for giving each of us the personality traits that HE did!! These personality profiles can help us understand ourselves and those around us so much better though!
Golden Retrievers are the most deep loving people! We truly love FULLY. We also often literally FEEL the pain of others. We have an amazing ability to empathize with people!! We hurt with and for the people we love! We may not have many friends but the friends we do have are the most important people in the world to us! We tend to be loyal to the end! On the other side of this, we are likely to get hurt easily when those around us "let us down." However, we also tend to forgive easily and fully! We don't like thinking that people are upset with us or that we may have hurt someone... we know how that feels and wouldn't want anyone else to hurt! We definitely want everyone to like us! We feel everything deeply... goodbyes are hard for us! Especially if it is someone who is close to us... once we let someone into our inner circle we don't want that to change! We also DO NOT enjoy change! We want to feel secure in our homes and lives!
As you may have guessed I've had a bit of a Melancholy week... and thats OK! I can't allow myself to take it to an extreme... but the LORD created my emotions and created me to react this way to my environment! I'm so thankful that in hard weeks like this... when I've had to say good bye to my little brother who has shipped off to Boot Camp and also had to say good bye to a dear friend who has moved away... that I can look to my Saviour and HE comforts me and allows me to cry and HE picks me up and helps me move on! I don't do well with change, thats true, but I've learned that with my God I can still live life!
Thank you Lord for each of the personality types you have created... Thank you for my Melancholy moments and for loving me through them! Thank you for all those people in my life who are not Melancholies but who love me anway!!!
***Take this free Personality Test to see which personality type you are! Also check out the description of the different personality types for scripture references and examples of people in the Bible who had these different personality types!***
It's good to know what we are and why we react the way we do. I'm so thankful God made you the Golden Retriever you are. This has kept our family close when we are even far away. I love you daughter and I am thankful God has blessed you with 4 of our grandkids, that will always know their grandparents because of the deep love their (Golden Retriever) mother has for her parents! Love Ya! Dad
ReplyDeleteThis, my beautiful adopted daugther is one of the reasons why we are kindered spirits, I am also melancholy/choleric. How many times have I told you that you are more like my daugther than my flesh and blood children.You have a beautiful ,caring heart and your feelings run deep and that is what endears you to your friends. So many times that we have talked I feel like you carry my burdens and I have carried yours. This is why when you moved back to Oregon I was reluctant to share bad news with you because I didn't want to worry you. I am so excited for you and David honey, yes you have gone through some low points in your effort to serve God but now you are exactly where He needed you.The struggles grew your faith. So thankful that you know your position in Christ, we are all different in our personalities but with a purpose.Just imagine what a boring place this world would be if we were all the same.Oh, and by the way Chloe is a little golden retriever/lion also!
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