Photo by Tehilla Music
According to the Myers-Briggs personality tests, I am labeled as a ENTJ. People have recommended that another person who knows you well to take the test on your behalf. Christina took the test and answered the questions as if she was trying to describe me.
I don’t know if I am a big fan of labeling people because we are complex people and there are experiences that might not fit the label that is given to us. Supposedly, I am an “extrovert.” In many ways, I definitely would agree with the assessment, but I know that there is a side of me that is more introverted.
At times, I find great delight in being alone, whether it is with a good book or even enjoying a beautiful scenery with inspiring music in my iPod. Sometimes a car ride by myself will do the trick.
But no matter what kind of personality type we might have, there is no denying that in this world we need each other and we find our identity in relationship with others. L.T. Jeyachandran who works with Ravi Zacharias in Singapore writes,
Similarly, we are born to our parents and we grow in our understanding of ourselves as we learn to relate to parents, siblings, and friends. Simply put, I can’t be me without someone else; you can’t be you without reference to someone else. What makes a person a person is her (or his) capability of interpersonal relationship. In fact, we derive our most fundamental sense of identity by relating to God and other human beings. Moreover, the identity that we seek from impersonal entities such as achievement, fame, pleasure, and possessions – the hallmarks of today’s consumerist, shopping-mall existence – can be extremely inadequate and frustrating.”
His insights are not new, but it definitely reminds us of the importance of community and the need that we have for interdependence in the Body of Christ. Within the Church we have so many lonely people. Too often the “in” crowd is totally oblivious to the needs of others because they are just so content with the status quo and their own self-centered comforts. There are people who are hurting. There are people who are struggling with issues in their lives. Who will reach out to them? Who will minister to them?
But the reason why some of us do not answer the call of helping others is because of the cost involved. Who has time to just sit down and listen to people for 3-4 hours? Who has the energy to try to provide various things for people who are in need? Who likes to be inconvenienced when we have so much to do? Who wants to make the investment in people that might not yield any tangible fruits?
These are all the challenges of learning to relate with one another and to minister others.
L.T. Jeyachandran points our attention back on God and the need for worship. He says, “Indeed, many of the Psalms are in the plural and not necessarily sung to God but to one another (see, for instance, Psalms 95-100; 122-126; 132-144). The Scriptures teach us that when we are discouraged, we encourage one another to lift up our feeble hands in adoration to God. In so doing, we begin to reflect our dependence on one another and thereby reflect the being of God in our corporate worship.”
I am wondering if we worshiped God in the context of “community,” then we would be able to minister to one another in a deep and profound way. Maybe next time in order to help others, we might think about worshiping together. This is what the Apostle Paul recommended for us as we are filled with the Spirit – “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5:19-20).