Personality Differences On The Same Team

Personality Differences on the Same Team

The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers.

1 Corinthians 3:8-9

IN THE PAST FEW DAYS, we have talked about marriage and personality differences. It’s important to understand personality types because we generally seek to meet our psychological and spiritual needs in a way that fits our personality.

For example, a caretaker will find her significance in caring for a needy friend. She may spend hours trying to help this friend solve problems and find meaning in life. However, her efforts will often be incomprehensible to the controller. “Why would anyone spend so much time and energy trying to help such a loser?” is the attitude of the controller. He fails to recognize that the caretaker is finding her own significance as she cares for the needy person. The controller, on the other hand, will likely find his significance in accomplishing projects and making things happen.

If we understand the role that personality plays in motivating our behavior, we will understand each other better. Understanding leads to greater harmony in marriage. We need to remember that as a couple, we’re working together as a team. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3 that he and Apollos, another preacher, were not competitors but teammates with different strengths and responsibilities. The important thing was that they were working for the same goal. Similarly, in marriage, we have different strengths and weaknesses, and we often accomplish different tasks. However, we can still work together in unity and understanding for the good of our relationship.

Father, thank you for the ways I am different from my spouse. Please help us to understand each other, to have patience with each other, and to celebrate the fact that we can work as a team.

Personality