Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been working through the Enneagram – taking tests, reading about my results, and figuring out what that means for me as a believer. I have never been the biggest fan of personality tests; often I feel like they’re hard to pinpoint and never really truly explain much about who I am. Until now.
For anyone who’s curious I tested as an Enneagram 3 personality type, which in short is the Achiever type: successful, pragmatic, adaptable, excelling, driven and image-conscious. It means my basic fear is feeling worthless, and my basic need is feeling valuable and worthwhile. And it totally took everything in me to type our my basic needs and fears because I don’t want to look like I fear or need anything. Typical 3!
There’s a ton of information out there about the Enneagram, and although I’ve found myself super annoyed at the accuracy, I do think that it’s been really beneficial to see myself in a new light. If you haven’t taken this personality test before I think you totally should!
HOWEVER that is not what I hopped on here to write about! I wanted to give you a pep talk about something that sounds a little weird, but was kind of a revolutionary thought I had this weekend.
How often are we told to just not care what other people think? I know I’ve uttered those words countless times to myself in an effort to be OK with who I am. There’s a lot to be said about growing a thick skin (and it’s totally necessary at times, trust me), but what if – go with me here – what if we decided to live our lives because we care about what people think of us?
What if I lived with the confidence that my husband finds me incredibly beautiful?
What if I lived with the assurance that my Daddy sees me his amazing baby girl?
What if I lived in freedom because my mom knows I’m a strong and smart and capable woman?
What if I saw myself as the ultimate in femininity, beauty and strength that my boys see in me?
What if I actually believed that I was the worthwhile friend and confidant that my friends know me to be?
What if I truly thought I was as cool as my baby sister used to think I was?
What if I lived my life fully confident in who God has already said I am, as a worthy and beautiful daughter, a warrior for his Kingdom, lovely and blameless through the blood of Christ?
What if I lived my life and saw myself and cared about what the ones I care about see?
I can tell you this: I would probably be a legitimately cooler, significantly more confident, stronger woman. I would be able to brush off frustrations easily and forgo blame and quit feeling less than. I would hold myself to a higher standard and feel completely saturated with love. I would be better because I would finally see that I am better, and all because I cared what others think about me.
So today I challenge you to do the same. Take an inventory of the people who love you and then take a moment to see yourself through their eyes. And then live your life like that!
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