JUNE 2015 - Building Better Relationships
I had the great privilege of attending the pastor’s luncheon
this week that was part of MEF’s Word and Worship conference at Village Seven
Presbyterian Church. Dr. Robert Rohm,
founder of Personality Insights, was the guest speaker for the luncheon. He shared with us how we can build better
relationships through understanding the 4 main personality types. These 4 main personality types have been
labeled as Dominant, Inspiring, Supportive, and Cautious. I have heard similar presentations in the past
and have previously completed several different DISC personality
assessments. Though this was not new
information, I was reminded of how valuable these DISC profiles can be for
understanding yourself and strengthening your relationships with others.
God has wired us for relationships and for living in
community with others. Whether it is at
school, work, home, church, or out in the community, developing healthy
relationships with others is an important aspect of being a follower of
Jesus. Not only are we wired for
relationships, but God has shaped each one of us differently. Our personalities are shaped and molded by
the hand of God. While I am thankful we are all created
differently, that also can cause some major conflict in life. Relationships can be messy!!
We often want people to think like us, act like us, or
respond the same way we do. It often
drives us crazy that other people are the way that they are! However, since we are all different, we don’t
act alike, think alike, respond alike, or communicate alike. We usually relate to other people and
communicate in a way that is most comfortable for us, but the way we try to
build a relationship with others may not connect with their personality. When we realize we are all created and wired
differently, and we can spend the time learning what makes other people tick,
then we can begin to build stronger relationships.
The truth is there will always be people who rub us the
wrong way. There are some personality
types where it simply takes more work and understanding on each side to develop
a healthy relationship. Maybe it is one
of your children, your spouse, a church member, or a co-worker, but God has
called us to love others and to live in community as the body of Christ. Instead of giving up on those relationships,
work on gaining a better understanding of your own personality and the
personality of that individual. What can
you do to communicate with them and relate to them in a way that can begin to
tear down some barriers? We shouldn’t
always expect others to change, we should instead discover what we can do on
our part to better understand and relate to the people God has placed in our
lives.
I encourage you to take the time to fill out a personality
assessment. Here are a few links to assessments
for children, teens, adults, and married couples:
www.personalitystyle.com (free)
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