I definitely identify with the Type A personality. I really like to plan as far ahead as possible. It gives me a sense of peace to know exactly what I’m going to do and exactly when I’m going to do it. I really like lists, especially to do lists. I like to know what is expected of me and be able to check it off of my list. I can also get pretty impatient pretty easily. When things don’t go according to my schedule, I tend to get worried and even frustrated that my plans are ruined.
These behaviors of mine aren’t necessarily wrong, or sinful. For the most part, they are just a part of my personality. But I have realized something about my personality while reading my Bible. What I’ve noticed is that Jesus and I share very few personality traits. Jesus does not have a Type A personality. I believe this has some implications for how Christians should live their lives.
There isn’t a list of requirements we have to follow.
God hasn’t sat down and created a long list of everything He wants us to be. There is no criteria for how we should live our lives. God is not sitting in Heaven with a checklist watching our every move to see how we live up to His expectations. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…” God gives grace, not requirements.
There isn’t a perfect plan for our future.
Maybe this is mostly my own opinion, but I don’t think that God has a “perfect” plan for our lives. Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” I think that man is the one that makes plans, but God walks with us every step of the way. So we never have to worry about making the “right” decision for our lives, because God is with us no matter what.
The only thing we have to be impatient for is Heaven.
God doesn’t want us to be worried or frustrated about anything. He want us to be happy and joyful, and to live our lives more fully. The only thing that God would have us to be impatient with is the return of Christ and our arrival in heaven.
It has taken me awhile to realize that being Type A doesn’t make me a better person or make me more religious. I now know that Jesus wasn’t even a Type A. So now I can put these misconceptions behind me.