ChanaR
Member
I believe my spirituality is highly effected by my personality.
The MBTI types me as an Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging sort (INFJ). This type has at different times been called the Counselor, the Advocate, the Confidant, and the Ethicist. We are the rarest of the 16 personalities, and the hardest to get to know -- we are often referred to as mysterious. If you google INFJ I guarantee everything you read will fit me like a glove; you'll know more about me in five minutes than most people in real life know about me in years. Famous INFJ's are Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Jung, Dostoyevski, Jimmy Carter... The most famous fictitious INFJ is problem Lisa Simpson. As you can see, we are all idealists who care a great deal about our fellow human beings.
INFJ's can be found in every religion, and can be atheists and agnostics as well. But they are uncommonly spiritual even when non-religious, finding meaning in things like humanism and the intricacies of the scientific world. It is well known that even though only 1.5% of the population are INFJ, more than half the books on how to pray are written by INFJ's. They are also found disproportionately among the clergy.
How has being an INFJ effected my spirituality specifically?
The biggest way is that it has driven me and driven me and driven me to cultivate myself. I have forever pursued the virtues. Every flaw, every slightest stumble, even if I gloss over it for a long time, eventually I face up to it, cop to it, resolve to conquer it with God's grace, and make plans how to do that. This means I have spent a lot of time in self reflection--the gift of the introvert. But as perfectionistic as I am, I have never felt that God condemns me. He is brutally honest with me, and demands that I own up to my shortcomings. But I never feel rejected or unloved. I just know that he expects me to do better.
As much as I am a perfectionist with myself, my INFJ empathy and compassion makes me accepting and tolerant of others and their mistakes. It's not that I don't see wrong when wrong is there. It's that I love people anyhow. My job as a human being is to accept people as they are and help them become the best that they can be, NOT to condemn them. After all, God has not condemned me
As an INFJ, I see everyone's unique potential. Everyone is a unique snowflake--no two are alike. My job is to help each person become the very best "them" that they can be. Religiously, that means they aren't going to be like me. Heck, I want to be a Tzaddik (a Saint, a Buddha). Maybe she is beautiful just being the sweet Christian girl that goes to Church every week and sings and brings chicken potluck and clothes for the homeless and will drop everything to come over and pray with you if she things you are hurting. Maybe he is wonderful as he is not going to any religious congregation at all (unless maybe it his regular attendance at the Dodger Stadium!) but you couldn't ask for a more loyal friend, or devoted employee, or loving father. Sometimes I see these people as simply being in a different place on the journey. Other times I see them as being a different kind of flower in the garden.
As an INFJ, there is a difference in how I read scripture. Seriously. I read about it in a book called Prayer and Temperament. It's called the "TRANSLATIONAL" approach. Basically when I read the Torah, it's as if HaShem is speaking to me personally. Yes, I know in my mind that He is speaking to Moses, to Israel. I go through the whole thing of asking what was going on historically and culturally and all that. But in the end, it's still a personal message to me. What does the Lord want *me* to get out of reading these exact words at this exact time?
As an INFJ, religion can never just be about beliefs in my head. Nor could it ever be limited to being just about me. It has to be about other people. Loving my neighbor as myself. Repair of the world. If I could borrow from the New Testament, "You tell me you have faith. I'll show you my faith with my works."
As an INFJ, the intuitive is what is obvious for me. The figurative, the imaginative, the analogical are where I live. Religious teaching stories, myths, parables, etc. are simply not hard for me to understand. I read Zen stuff and its more pleasurable than sipping a chocolate milkshake. I read Jesus' parables and I think, "How come the disciples didn't get it? I read about the Baal Shem Tov and think, Oh my gosh, everyone has forgotten what this guy was really about -- they've tried to squish him back into the same old mold again because they don't understand him.
Your turn. What is your MBTI type, and how do you think it influences your spirituality. Or, if you've never been tested, describe your overall personality and do the same.
BTW, you can always google the MBTI and take one of the many online free tests and read up on yourself. The freebies are shorter an less accurate than if you pay for the full version, but you may surprise yourself. There are no wrong answers, and no type is better or worse than any other type.
The MBTI types me as an Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging sort (INFJ). This type has at different times been called the Counselor, the Advocate, the Confidant, and the Ethicist. We are the rarest of the 16 personalities, and the hardest to get to know -- we are often referred to as mysterious. If you google INFJ I guarantee everything you read will fit me like a glove; you'll know more about me in five minutes than most people in real life know about me in years. Famous INFJ's are Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Jung, Dostoyevski, Jimmy Carter... The most famous fictitious INFJ is problem Lisa Simpson. As you can see, we are all idealists who care a great deal about our fellow human beings.
INFJ's can be found in every religion, and can be atheists and agnostics as well. But they are uncommonly spiritual even when non-religious, finding meaning in things like humanism and the intricacies of the scientific world. It is well known that even though only 1.5% of the population are INFJ, more than half the books on how to pray are written by INFJ's. They are also found disproportionately among the clergy.
How has being an INFJ effected my spirituality specifically?
The biggest way is that it has driven me and driven me and driven me to cultivate myself. I have forever pursued the virtues. Every flaw, every slightest stumble, even if I gloss over it for a long time, eventually I face up to it, cop to it, resolve to conquer it with God's grace, and make plans how to do that. This means I have spent a lot of time in self reflection--the gift of the introvert. But as perfectionistic as I am, I have never felt that God condemns me. He is brutally honest with me, and demands that I own up to my shortcomings. But I never feel rejected or unloved. I just know that he expects me to do better.
As much as I am a perfectionist with myself, my INFJ empathy and compassion makes me accepting and tolerant of others and their mistakes. It's not that I don't see wrong when wrong is there. It's that I love people anyhow. My job as a human being is to accept people as they are and help them become the best that they can be, NOT to condemn them. After all, God has not condemned me
As an INFJ, I see everyone's unique potential. Everyone is a unique snowflake--no two are alike. My job is to help each person become the very best "them" that they can be. Religiously, that means they aren't going to be like me. Heck, I want to be a Tzaddik (a Saint, a Buddha). Maybe she is beautiful just being the sweet Christian girl that goes to Church every week and sings and brings chicken potluck and clothes for the homeless and will drop everything to come over and pray with you if she things you are hurting. Maybe he is wonderful as he is not going to any religious congregation at all (unless maybe it his regular attendance at the Dodger Stadium!) but you couldn't ask for a more loyal friend, or devoted employee, or loving father. Sometimes I see these people as simply being in a different place on the journey. Other times I see them as being a different kind of flower in the garden.
As an INFJ, there is a difference in how I read scripture. Seriously. I read about it in a book called Prayer and Temperament. It's called the "TRANSLATIONAL" approach. Basically when I read the Torah, it's as if HaShem is speaking to me personally. Yes, I know in my mind that He is speaking to Moses, to Israel. I go through the whole thing of asking what was going on historically and culturally and all that. But in the end, it's still a personal message to me. What does the Lord want *me* to get out of reading these exact words at this exact time?
As an INFJ, religion can never just be about beliefs in my head. Nor could it ever be limited to being just about me. It has to be about other people. Loving my neighbor as myself. Repair of the world. If I could borrow from the New Testament, "You tell me you have faith. I'll show you my faith with my works."
As an INFJ, the intuitive is what is obvious for me. The figurative, the imaginative, the analogical are where I live. Religious teaching stories, myths, parables, etc. are simply not hard for me to understand. I read Zen stuff and its more pleasurable than sipping a chocolate milkshake. I read Jesus' parables and I think, "How come the disciples didn't get it? I read about the Baal Shem Tov and think, Oh my gosh, everyone has forgotten what this guy was really about -- they've tried to squish him back into the same old mold again because they don't understand him.
Your turn. What is your MBTI type, and how do you think it influences your spirituality. Or, if you've never been tested, describe your overall personality and do the same.
BTW, you can always google the MBTI and take one of the many online free tests and read up on yourself. The freebies are shorter an less accurate than if you pay for the full version, but you may surprise yourself. There are no wrong answers, and no type is better or worse than any other type.
