I found this article in the Thriving Family magazine's latest issue and it made me think. It said there are at least 9 different temperaments that determine how a person worships and relates to God. This was new to me. I was sceptical.
1. Naturalists' hearts open up to God when they are outdoors.
2. Intellectuals really like books and live in a life of concepts. They want to come out of their devotion time with a new understanding. If their mind isn't engaged their heart may feel cold.
3. Sensates are the artistic type. They prefer creative and original music. Worship is about seeing, hearing, feeling, touching, and tasting God.
4. Traditionalists find great meaning by worshiping God according to set patterns-their own or historical ones. They may organize their lives around scheduled times of prayer or carefully observe the Christian calendar.
5. Ascetics meet God internally. They prefer to shut out the world and meet God in solitude. The best environment for personal worship is a quiet, orderly place.
6. Activists meet God in the vortex of confrontation. They want to fight God's battles.
7. Caregivers love God by loving others.
8. Enthusiasts like the excitement and celebration of group worship and probably buy more praise Cd's than books. Their exuberance tends to lead them to creative forms of worship.
9. Contemplatives are marked by an emotional attachment and surrender to God. They want to spend their time in God's presence-adoring Him, listening to Him, and enjoying Him.
I can see a little of myself in all of these, but the contemplative definitely marks my normal. When I tested Joel, he thought he was a combo between the ascetic and the intellectual, not that he likes theology, but his mind needs to be engaged. It made me think. Just because we don't worship God in the same way, God is still Glorified. He made us different and is glorified in our differences.
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