- “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” –Proverbs 12:25 {ESV}
- “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.” –Proverbs 12:25 {KJV}
- “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” –Proverbs 12:25 {NIV}
- “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” –Proverbs 12:25 {NLT}
No matter who is translating it for us into English, this verse is as plain and practical as Scripture can be.
Occasionally I use this blog for a dual purpose: at one and the same time I will confess a struggle and seek to edify the reader by that confession. Today’s entry is one of those attempts. My beloved, Amy, has really been into temperament studies for years. It appears to be a fairly solid observation that God fashions us each with a specific temperament in life. This is more than our personality, it is the core way we process and respond to the world around us. People smarter than me have given four main groupings which go by different names depending on whose study is being shared. The four groups that I am most familiar with are: Melancholic, Sanguine, Choleric, and Phlegmatic. I don’t have time or space to go deeply into any of these but chances are that you fall into one of these four groups as the main temperament which characterizes much of your living. At the risk of today’s entry going a little long, let me submit the following summaries of the temperaments:
- Melancholic – A person who is a thoughtful ponderer has a melancholic disposition. Often very considerate, they may get rather worried when they could not be on time for events. Melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry and art – and can become occupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world. A melancholic is also often a perfectionist. They are often self-reliant and independent; one negative part of being a melancholic is sometimes they can get so involved in what they are doing they forget to think of others.
- Sanguine – The Sanguine temperament personality is fairly extroverted. People of a sanguine temperament tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be quite loud. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean very sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when pursuing a new hobby, interest is lost quickly when it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much people persons. They are talkative and not shy. For some people, these are the ones you want to be friends with and usually they become lifelong friends.
- Choleric – A person who is choleric is a do-er. They have a lot of ambition, energy, and passion, and try to instill it in others. They can dominate people of other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic military and political figures were cholerics. They like to be leaders and in charge of everything. A choleric is not content to sit and think and theorize – life is meant to be lived and to be a passive observer is a waste in the eyes of the choleric. Cholerics are often regarded as rude, insensitive and aloof yet most of us turn to a choleric first when hard decisions need to be made and clear leadership granted.
- Phlegmatic – Phlegmatics tend to be self-content and kind. They can be very accepting and affectionate. They may be very receptive and shy and often prefer stability to uncertainty and change. They are very consistent, relaxed, rational, curious, and observant, making them good administrators. However they can also be very passive aggressive.
Why did I take time today to highlight these temperaments?
Well, to confess that I’m suffering in the blending of the two dominant temperaments that define me. I’ve taken the temperament tests, read enough about them, and heard it countless times from my sweet wife: I’m about 95% choleric with a 5% dash of melancholic…and today it’s getting the best of me. Because I am fashioned to do I am most satisfied when accomplishing something. God has given me the ability to thrive under pressure when there is a clear course of action and a goal which can be met. I’m really content when life affords me seasons like that. However, my nightmare occurs when there are huge challenges in front of me, mountains to be conquered, territory to be won, battles in which to triumph…but God allows me no opportunity or ability to decisively act. He tells the perpetual motion man to be still and know that He is God. I tell Him that I already know that and now I would appreciate Him allowing me to be turned loose. He then tells me that He prefers me still and quiet. I tell Him that I prefer the opposite. He then responds by letting me know that He’s not interested in my preferences because I’m clay and He’s the Potter and the clay is not allowed to instruct the Potter.
So then I commence to pouting.
The real pebble in my shoe right now is that the 5% melancholic wants to take over when the 95% choleric is put in a straight-jacket. The melancholic in me sings a song written entirely in minor chords. Melancholy brings her children Fret and Worry over to spend a few days in the house of Lyleheart. They huddle together and write poems entitled, “Doom and Gloom”, “Taking On Water” and “All Is Loss”. These three unwelcome guests have been sitting at my table for about a week now and I can’t open the door to usher them out because God hasn’t fashioned any arms on this lump of clay yet.
Depressed yet? I hope not. I’m really writing this as some form of catharsis which I hope will make you chuckle and, perhaps, recognize a little of your own silly fretfulness. Solomon wrote the words that I posted two miles back, at the top of this blog: “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” I’ve confessed my anxiety and now I’m asking any or all of you who read the Transforming Truth blog to post “a good word” which has the potential to help me experience some more of that elusive gladness. Can you take just a couple of minutes and comment below this entry and share with me and others who will stop by today? Maybe you discovered your own temperament described above and would like to comment on it. Forgive the overt self-serving nature of my request but I could use a little sugar to dissipate the lemon juice right now. Don’t write anything about me if you were inclined to do so – tell me something great about God, your own experience with the melancholy molasses or something else to remind this Tuesday traveler that the buckles on the straight jacket will burst someday soon!