16.4 Personality and Expression

Human personality is what I am like inside, and human expression is what goes out from me towards others. The personality of every human who has lived is different from all other personalities, unique in its own special way. And every human expresses him or herself in unique and different ways. Different is good inside of honesty and truth.

God is infinite. God contains, as the makeup of His being, an infinite number of sets of words each one containing an infinite number of words. One of those sets of words, coming through Jesus, becomes me, and a completely different set of words inside of God, also coming through Jesus, becomes you.

A View of God. God NEVER mixes up any unique set of words inside Himself with words from another set. Jesus NEVER forgets which words are coming to you or mixes into your life words that are God’s knowing of me. If there are fifteen billion humans, in total, come out from Adam and Eve, then God has fifteen billion different and unique sets of words that are first part of Himself before they are spoken by Jesus to become each one of us.

Human personality, when it is true without pretending or hiding, is a distinct and unique expression of God. God is infinite; it is no surprise at all that it would take billions of humans to reveal Him, each with their own part. All human personalities together give us a view of God’s personality.

Philosophies of Education. Cognitive constructivism is a philosophy of education towards which I naturally gravitated. Cognitive means that logic and word and meaning must be predominant and constructivist means that each learner must construct their own understanding for themselves.

In contrast, there are two other ideas ruling in educational realms, behaviorism and Marxism. Behaviorism says that the teacher rules what enters into the student in both meaning and learning, and Marxism says that nothing has any meaning and that every individual is already fixed in their respective class, that there is no such thing as constructing your own learning. Sadly, much “traditional education,” and most Christian schools operate inside the thinking of behaviorism.

Meaning Is Real. The truth is that I find a reflection of God’s thinking coming through the educators who practice cognitive constructivism. When I was writing educational reviews, I gained so much from those who shared this philosophy. Cognitive constructivism treats meaning as real and the child as a sovereign person, in charge of his or her own learning.

For this reason, understanding the differences in human personality is a key part of learning to be an effective teacher. Each child is unique, but there is a sharing of similar traits. First, it is understood that people learn in a variety of different ways, something called “learning styles.” In a previous lesson, I shared how I learn, but I know that not everyone learns in that way; some learn in very different ways, each just as valid.

My Personality. The most commonly used measure of the different types of personalities is called the Meyers-Brigg Personality Scale, a scale that sets out 16 different personality types using four metrics. I took the Meyers-Brigg a few months after we left move community. It was like a spear thrust through untold hurt and confusion. Why? Because I had been taught and had come to believe deeply that my own personality was flawed, definitely not like Christ, and that I was responsible, that I could be different, if I stopped being rebellious and started “hearing and obeying.” What I learned was that my personality, INTJ, was a normal human personality, shared by many others who experienced the same things in life that I did. I learned that I was okay!

Valuing Differences. My point is this. Valuing the differences in personality and expression unique to each individual is the glue that holds together any local church. At the same time, keeping in one’s view the true person, even while deliberately ignoring all the hiding and pretending, is a gift from God. I have known a few people who had that gift.

This is interesting, because we are speaking here of learning in the affective domain. Let’s apply how we learn to value one another’s differences. Learning to value one another’s differences IS learning to value God, for God expresses Himself through the likes and interests, the ways and doings of each individual person.

The Affective Domain. The affective domain encompasses many values, here we are looking only at valuing other people. (1) Being aware that other people are just like us on the inside, receiving one another just as Jesus receives us. (2) Responding to other people, hearing them share with you and you sharing with them. (3) Beginning to really enjoy and value the differences of other people. (4) Shaping your own outlook and philosophy of life to include partaking of other people’s differences of personality and expression. (5) Living a life of loving one another with pure hearts fervently.

As you can see, you cannot end up at #5 without starting at #1. Living by the characterization, the value and philosophy, of loving one another must be learned, step by step.

Knowing One Another. A study of human personality and expression, in all its variation and range is a study of the vast scope and the multitude of facets that are God’s personality and expression. And of course, in saying that, we are speaking of humans as they are, yes, but released from all pretending and hiding, the ‘need’ for dishonesty, by the Atonement of Christ.

Knowing one another is much more than a “hobby,” but let’s use that concept just a bit. I collect counties in the United States, just like another person might collect butterflies or postage stamps. I mark on my map every county I have been in since I was twelve. Over time, getting more counties on every trip has become something of great value to me.

A New “Hobby.” What if I thought in terms of “collecting” knowing, on a close and meaningful basis, as many differing expressions of God’s personality (other people) as I can. This would be a “hobby” that continues forever. My purpose is to somehow convey the richness and value of such a thing.

In our present way of thinking, we would find it “normal” that a person amasses large amounts of money, or many “toys,” or much land, a shop filled with tools or a library filled with books. What if we were to think in terms of acquiring large numbers of FRIENDS, in deep and meaningful relationship, as our ongoing quest of knowing the Father as He really is.

Christ Community. And when I say “friends in deep and meaningful relationships,” I mean Christ Community. Those who wish to know the Father as He is in all of His expression and delight, joys and sorrows, will do so in two directions. They will know the Father arising within their own hearts, sharing life with them. AND they will know the Father as He expresses Himself differently through other persons inside of Christ Community.

You see, we must understand that Father revealing Himself in His own personality and expressions does so, not just through each one of us as individuals, but far more so, through our togetherness. There is a critical knowing of God that comes only through a committed corporate expression.

Close Friendships. To know one another’s hearts is to know God. Sharing Hheart with God includes sharing one another with God.

I have known so much pain in my life, pain that always involves other people. And so knowing the hearts of others is not something I readily venture into, for so often I have found minefields blowing up rather than expressions of Father. But I am an unending optimist, as Alexander Pope said, “Hope springs eternal in the human heart.” And so I don’t think I’m being a hypocrite because I am not now building many close friendships. I know that such a time will come for me. Right now, however, God has given me the season of building such closeness of heart with my wife, in depths we have not yet known.

A Friend of God. We conclude thus, that deep and abiding friendships with a few people – and with many – is knowing the Father in His wondrous personality and valuing all of His many expressions. We could paraphrase a number of verses in this way. – He who is a friend of God is friends of many. – He who knows many knows the Father.

I always valued the Meyers-Brigg Personality assessment because I could find refuge in knowing that I was one of a small and odd group, INTJ, nonetheless there are many like me. What if we studied it differently? What if we studied it to know our Father in all His many expressions? What if we became friends with people of every personality type?

– We would know the Father. – We would be friends with God.