Originals

      You were made an original. God made you and enjoys you. He enjoys the extroverts and the introverts. He enjoys the intelligent, the whimsical and athletic. He created us different for His own enjoyment and purposes. He does not want to change your personality.

       There is something that God wants to change. He wants to help us develop integrity and good character. He wants us to have a new nature. Not the sinful nature we were born into, but to walk in our new nature. The nature we were given when we were born again, when we came into a relationship with Him.  He wants to help us grow up spiritually, maturing in all things. He wants us to lay down things that will hurt others, Him and ourselves.

      Lets not confuse God creating us an original as Him approving of destructive things in our life. But lets also not confuse God wanting to mature us as Him wanting to change our personality. It's two very different issues. His goal and the goal of the Holy Spirit is to guide us, teach us and encourage us to look more and more like Jesus.

      Extroverts, imagine being at a party with only introverts. Athletes, imagine being at a party with only artists. Whatever you see yourself as, imagine being somewhere with only people the opposite of you. Annoying, right? I'm more of an introvert and thinking about being surrounded by only extroverts forever is not an enjoyable thought. I believe God is the same way. He does not want to be surround by a bunch of one personality type. It would be excessive and frustrating. There is more joy, peace and productivity in variety. He takes pleasure in us the way He created us. In the same way we need to celebrate our differences and embrace each other in the unique way we are.

      Athletic men can't bash artistic men as if who they are is the only and best way to be. Same with extroverts and introverts, intelligent/brainy people and whimsical off beat people.  We have a bad habit in the church of trying to make people look like whatever we are instead of pointing them to Jesus. People end up mimicking and taking after the pastor's personalities because that's the approved way of being (In bigger churches this is not as big of an issue as much in smaller congregations).

     Let's remember, God enjoys those around us. He likes their personality and temperament. He created them. The only things He's changing and maturing have to do with character, love, faith, integrity, and our relationship with Him etc.