Are you a "Thinker" or a "Feeler"?
Years ago, our former Pastor challenged us with the following question..."Are you a thinker or a feeler"?
He said that most people tend to swing either one direction or the other...and I feel that this is even truer today.
So my challenge to you is this...meditate throughout your day today...examine your heart.
"Are you a thinker or a feeler"?
Which way do you swing? Are you led by your thinker? Are you lead by your feeler? Or, do you fall somewhere in the middle?
Quite frankly...too much of either can have its pitfalls.
Feeler:
We need to have compassion and sympathy for others, we need to love as Jesus loved. We need to have our causes. But there are times when our "feelers" gets the best of us. When we just blow up because we feel so strongly about something that we don't STOP to use our "thinkers."
What are the results? We lose our witness, we lose other's respect for us, we lose credibility.
Thinker:
We need to use good judgment and sound wisdom when making decisions...or facing a problem. But there are times when our "thinkers" get the best of us. When we wrestle a situation around so long...when we "logic" it to death...when we don't STOP to use our "feelers."
What are the results? We miss out on opportunities (God moments), we become callous, we become un-moldable.
Want a simple way to test yourself?
How do you respond to a Facebook post?
Do you read it carefully, try to understand where the person is coming from and comment accordingly (or don't comment at all?) Then, you probably swing more towards your "thinker" side.
Do you read a post quickly, decide instantly what you think the person was "really" writing about and shoot off a quick reply because your "perceived" meaning was something that you feel deeply about? Then, you probably swing more towards your "feeler" side.
In the Middle
Do you read a post carefully (first and foremost)?
Do you try to figure out the intentions of the writer?
Do you construct a well thought out reply to support your side (your opinion) in a way that builds credibility...and causes people to take you seriously? Do you build the other person up...while still supporting your cause? Then you probably swing somewhere in the middle...right, where you need to be.
Yesterday, I read a beautiful heartfelt post. It was from a Youth Pastor who was sharing how his kids had brought their cell phones forward and lay them on the stage. Symbolizing that they were putting God first. I don't know this Pastor, I don't know the lesson, I don't know his situation, I don't know how big of a problem cell phones were in his class, I don't know anything about the evening...other than the fact that he was sharing something that was important to him.
The post quickly turned into an argument "pros vs cons" on cell phone use. 80% of the people responding were "feeler" motivated...only 20% were "thinker" motivated.
We have to have passions...they are important. But we also have to use logic. Everything that someone else says is not a personal attack towards us.
We don't have to tear others down...to make ourselves look or feel better.
We don't have to convince everyone else to think or feel the same way we do.
We have to be responsible for ourselves...and the message that we are portraying to others.
Not everyone is a scholar, not everyone can express themselves the way that others can, not everyone has a hidden agenda, not everyone sees things that same way as we do...cut them some slack....show them some grace!
It is okay to disagree...it is not okay to tear others down!
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Have a blessed day! I have been praying for you this morning!