Someone recently suggested to me a “worship style” test that would reveal the way God designed me to worship Him. Actually it was recommended by a fellow author, who thought it would be a good resource not only for ourselves but to dwell on as we develop our characters. (That’s a writer for you, taking something perfectly personal and applying it to our jobs!)
The test is from the book Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas. I haven’t yet read it, but based on the test and the areas available—the various ways each of us most naturally worships God—it’s a book I plan to read.After taking the test online, I found the results interesting enough to ponder. Since I view my writing as a ministry, I fully expected my area of worship to fall in line with that. And it did. I’m contemplative and intellectual — as I hasten to add I don’t think of myself as particularly smart, I just enjoy things that make me think.
So that much I expected. Writers must be able to think, since the stories we produce come out of our imaginations.
But one of the other major roles in my life is as caregiver. My sixteen-year-old son needs round-the-clock attention because of Fragile X Syndrome. At roughly a two-year-old’s functionality, he can’t be left alone and even during the night we have to be aware of the noises and sounds coming from his room. If he gets up during the night, anything can happen, from something harmless but frustrating like getting into the refrigerator and leaving it open all night to something far more frightening: the thought that he might leave the house. Thank God that hasn’t happened, but it’s a possibility that has helped to make me a very light sleeper.
Having been assigned this role from no less than God Himself, you would think another form of strong worship for me would be as a caretaker. However this area of worship was the second lowest in my ranking (traditionalist being the lowest). Caretakers, the test says, draw near to God through caring for and serving others.
Ranking low on this is pretty embarrassing, not just as a mom but as a Christian. I tried consoling myself by saying I answered the questions about service outside the home, so maybe someday I’ll still win that mother-of-the-year award I’ve been waiting for. 🙂 But still I couldn’t help thinking God either has a questionable sense of humor or I need to learn something.
And of course the latter is true. Doesn’t God give us challenges to teach us, mold us, make us a brighter reflection of Him and His servant’s heart? Maybe once I embrace my role as caretaker, the way I have as a writer, I’ll have stepped a bit higher on my journey toward what God wants me to be.
So what’s your challenge? Do you think a spiritual temperament test might give you some insight? If so, here’s the link:
I scored highest as an Ascetic, then Enthusiast and Contemplative tied for second. My area of challenge was Activist. It can be really hard to move from the life of being alone with God, drinking in all the goodness to one that acts upon that goodness. It could very well explain why it's easy for me to develop a story, and not so easy for me to prepare it for the world. One is between me and God the other is between me, God and the world. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting thoughts! I love your comparison to writing the story as being between you and God. I feel exactly the same way. Preparing it for "outside eyes" really is reaching out, becoming vulnerable in so many ways – much as activists do. I hadn't thought of it that way before! Thanks for the light!