I am a personality test junkie. Part of this is no doubt due to my interest in psychology. I often ponder the complexities of personality: Does it form early in development and remain unchanging and static? Or is it more plastic, changing as we age? How much of personality is determined by genetics or by environment? What personality tests are the most accurate?

I have taken pretty much every personality test I can find for free online (there are a few). I also took an official Myers-Briggs test as part of a psychology course I took in college. (100 points goes to the first reader who can guess what my Myers-Briggs type is based purely off my writing style and information I've disclosed about myself in the articles I have currently published.) Introspection and self-reflection is pretty inherent to my nature, and psychology tests are another tool to that end. I have plenty of information about the inner-workings of my self and personality, however, I wonder if I am using that information to grow or find my place in the world, or if it's just more information I'm hoarding.

If personality tests weren't enough, we now have the more spiritual and Christian approved version: Spiritual Gifts Inventories. These are all the rage in Christian conferences, churches, small groups and ministries. I'm pretty sure I've taken at least three different versions at different times in my life. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, spiritual gift inventories get their different gifts from Romans 12 (prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and mercy), 1 Corinthians 12 (wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues) and Ephesians 4:11 (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher). Some spiritual gift inventories, for better or worse,  also add in other gifts that are alluded to in other places throughout scripture, such as celibacy, hospitality, martyrdom, musical talent, and voluntary poverty, to name a few.

We all have a desire to know why God created us in our own unique way and what His Will is for our life. Knowing what your particular spiritual gifts are is certainly a good place to start in determining what direction to take in your life, be it ministry, vocation or otherwise.

I have noticed an unfortunate tendency in both myself and others to use spiritual gifts as an excuse. Do you want to act like a complete jerk? Claim you don't have a mercy gifting. Don't want to share the Gospel with others? Claim you aren't an evangelist. Don't want to tithe, give to the poor, or help a friend in need? Claim you don't have the gift of giving. Don't want to serve others? Claim you don't have the gift of serving or the gift of helps.

Unfortunately, we are called to do a lot of things, regardless of our giftings, if we are followers of Christ. If you think you can be a douche canoe to others just because you haven't been endowed with the supernatural gift of mercy, you may want to check out James 2:13 "For judgment is without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment." Or really, what 1 Corinthians 13 has to say about love (my synopsis: don't be a jerk). If you think lacking the spiritual gift of giving gets you off the hook for helping others, you may want to look at James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Don't think you need to serve? You might want to consider Jesus' words to the disciples regarding serving others in Luke 22: 25-27.

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