Personalities Clashing

Have you ever been around someone who has a completely different personality than you, perhaps one that you don’t particularly like? Some call it a personality clash or a personality conflict. When I worked in a corporate setting, I would hear the term “personality conflict” frequently as an excuse to avoid working with someone, or worse, an excuse to trash talk that person. It can be tempting to bad mouth someone when it takes a ton of effort just to get along with them. There are some people that you could hang out with for hours on end, and others that you feel you just need to stay far away from. As long as we live on this planet, we will experience personality clashes, especially if you are doing any sort of church work/ministry/volunteering.

We must strive to maintain unity, despite personality clashes. Before Jesus left the earth, one of His final prayers was for the unity of believers (John 17:23) so that the World will come to know Him. How will the world be drawn to the love of God, if we, His followers, do not possess it for each other? This is the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor like yourself (Mark 12:31).

One thing that helps me is to remember that God created all people. And since all people are created in God’s image and likeness, I should realize this person is God’s wonderful handiwork! So for the quiet and serious people, I can acknowledge that God has a quiet, serious side. For the humorous and loud, so is He! And the wacky and silly, rambuctious or calm, so is my Father. God has many facets, and I believe these are just traits of our Heavenly Father. Why ridicule a personality trait that I don’t have, when in reality it is a trait that is in God, and in His handiwork as well.

Next time you feel like you’re clashing with someone, identify the good in that person, and remember that God made them in His image and likeness. After that, ask God to show you what godly qualities is He trying to develop in you through this clash. When we shift the focus to be introspective, instead of passing blame on the other party, God will be faithful to show us the areas in our hearts that we need to allow Him to work through. The result will allow you to go to the next level in your Christian walk!

Mark 12:30-31And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.

Psalm 139:14 (NLT)

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Genesis 1:27 (NLT)

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them.