I came across a book not too long ago that explores the idea of spiritual temperaments. The author, Gary Thomas, describes a spiritual temperament as the way you most naturally express your relationship with Jesus. His book goes on to identify and examine nine different spiritual temperaments.
- Naturalists love God in the out of doors. They see God most clearly in nature.
- Sensates love God using their senses. Many Old Testament ceremonies involved all five senses.
- Traditionalists love God through ritual and symbol.
- Ascetics love God in solitude. They prefer to connect to God alone.
- Caregivers love God by loving others.
- Activists love God through confrontation and fighting for change and social justice.
- Contemplatives love God through adoration. They connect to Him by loving Him purely.
- Intellectuals love God with their minds. They connect to God when studying His word in detail and seek to understand not just experience God.
- Enthusiasts love God with celebration. They feel most connected to God when singing, dancing and worshipping with others.
As with most attempts to define personality traits, we are more than likely a combination of two of more of these spiritual temperaments.
Not surprisingly, I wear my main temperament on my sleeve, so to speak. If you have ever set foot in my house you already know my spiritual temperament. I am most definitely an enthusiast. We have music going in our house almost every waking moment. It is the one consistent way that I ALWAYS feel close to the heart of God.
I have a LONG, seemingly infinite list of music that draws me into His presence and one of my greatest joys is sharing it with others! :)
So, I would like to share with you a song that I have been listening to lately. It is actually a cover of a Sheryl Crow song, but I LOVE it and hope you enjoy it!
What about you? Which of these descriptions fits you? How does that play out in your life?
