“Are you an introvert or an extrovert?”
“Would you consider yourself to be a Type A, Type B, Type C, or Type D personality?”
These were the questions I was hit with on my first day in college at the beginning of my Intro to Psychology class. Not even one hour into my college career and I am already being asked to classify myself into certain specific categories. I must have been feeling pretty good about myself that day because my answer fell somewhere along the lines of, “I feel like I am a pretty good balance of all four of those personality traits.”
What was I supposed to say? Was I to permanently ally myself with one of these categories for which I would forever be associated with? Obviously this wasn’t the objective of the professor’s exercise. Instead, it was to understand how we all thought and reacted when placed in different situations.
Before we keep going I’ll go ahead and come clean: Introvert-Type B (whew that felt good to let out)
Knowing what one’s personality type is can help a person understand who they are and why they act and respond in the ways that they do. It can also give a person a sense of security knowing how they will be able to react when different situations occur in their lives. In more or less words: it’s comfortable.
I’m sure this is how Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John felt with their Type D personalities. Before they came to be known as the disciples, these four were perfectly content and comfortable with their lives. They had their daily routines which probably didn’t allow many “out-of-the-ordinary” or “living on the edge” experiences. Yet on a day where the only thing out of routine was the lack of fish attracted to the fishermen’s nets, Jesus presented them an opportunity that a typical Type D would’ve ignored and gone about their business. Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) And you know what? They did.
You know what’s interesting about Jesus calling these disciples? Instead of phrasing his words in the form of a request or suggestion, he commanded these young men to follow him. In other words, it wasn’t a “Hey, if you feel like it…” or a “I’ve got a proposition for you…” or even a “If you invest with me…” type of situation. It was a direct, strait-forward command that requires a specific response and action to follow. In that moment, it didn’t matter to these four young men that they had perfectly comfortable lives setup so that they could always predict and be prepared for whatever life threw their way. Upon being called, Matthew records, “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” (4:22)
God’s calling in our lives needs to have the same impact on us. When we are called, it isn’t a request/suggestion, but a command. There have been too many times where we (mainly I) have decided that God’s calling wasn’t necessarily for us. We have thoughts like: “Maybe I didn’t hear him right” or “Maybe he has me confused me with someone else” or “Maybe it’s the slice of pizza and glass of milk I had just before I went to bed talking to me.” But when we hear His calling, we shouldn’t be intimidated by the fact it’s going to require us stepping out of our comfort zone, but rather we should be excited and inspired that He would choose us for His divine plan! When God calls, don’t feel confined to a box that says your personality type only allows you to do so much before it’s uncomfortable to step out and follow God. Instead, we must step out in faith knowing that God has called us to live a life full of His plans for our lives.
When God calls, I know I must check my “Introvert – Type B” classification card at the door and allow Him to use me.