The Need for Certainty: The "J" of the INFJ

    

    It's been awhile since I shared more from the segment I started on Myers Briggs and how the Gospel counteracts behaviors or beliefs of personality types. I've been focused on sharing things that I'm learning in hopes that it could help others out there feel encouraged, seen or understood but I don't want to drop the ball on completing a segment of topical blog posts so let's get back to it. I'm going to cover the last trait of the INFJ, the "J" which stands for "judging". 

    Contrary to the meaning of the word "judging", the "J" in INFJ doesn't mean to make assumptions about others without getting to know them first or to make decisions about others based on what you observe about them but instead means that those with the INFJ personality profile are more likely to have a plan and stick to their plan and once they make a decision they stick to it. They prefer structure over "winging it" When I look back over the times I would take the test and would land on INFP versus INFJ, it makes a lot of sense that this trait would change in me.

    Since spending more time in different cultures and countries than mine, I have become more flexible overtime with being okay with not having a plan, with being comfortable with spontaneity and with understanding that sometimes the plan will fall through, so you will have to think on your feet. I've found that it's okay to make decisions and then change your mind about them. If you go back on a decision you made as long as it's still a healthy decision either way, it's okay. You are not tied to what you decided at the moment you decided. For example: If you committed to volunteer for something or accept a position but as time goes by realize you don't have the capacity to do it and it's affecting your well-being, it's okay to change your mind and choose something else or realize that you need some time for yourself and while volunteering for something is good and important, it's good to also be mindful that you don't burn out. 

    However in my nature, if I go back on a bigger decision like that, it is hard for my mind to get around being okay with it. I feel shame that I'm letting people down or that someone will be mad at me. And in some cases, that may be the case but I need to remember that at the end of the day, I cannot control how someone else may feel, I can only control myself. 

    So what does this mean in terms of the Gospel? Well, I think to start a healthy desire to have a plan to follow and structure and be firm in your decisions can be good but if someone is too focused on their own plan it can make it hard to trust God when life feels so uncertain. However believers are encouraged to not worry about tomorrow and to despite the plan they may make, allow God to lead their steps. It is okay to like to have a plan and to want structure but as a believer one should be willing to hold that plan loosely and trust God's best in their life. This is seen not just in these verses but also in passages that give accounts of people that were following God. People like Esther, Ruth, Naomi, Abraham and Sarah. They had these plans but despite their plans had to learn to trust God to lead them in the way that they were meant to go and allow Him to bring things to fruition His way not their own. 

    It is difficult to live like this whether you're an INFJ or not, there is so much more certainty in having a plan. In feeling that if you just do x, y, and z then you can get ____, then _____will happen. Yet, that's not how things work sometimes and sometimes, God will take your plan and despite your best efforts to make it work even if you had good intentions, He'll throw it completely out the door. When this first happens, I won't lie and say otherwise, it's hard. Really hard, it can feel discouraging and can create a wedge between you and God. The thing I'm learning though is that when that happens in my life, it ends up being a good thing. Even if I can't see it in the moment, when I look back I can see that His plan was better for me than the plan I had.

That's all I have for now on this topic. Thanks for following along! I hope that you have found this encouraging or insightful in some way and that ultimately, you are more aware of God's nearness and goodness. 

Have a great week!

Amy