“While the old maxim ‘to each his own’ rings true, I have personally found Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator helpful over the years. And as it turns out, so do around 10,000 companies, 2,500 colleges and universities, and 200 government agencies.”

Most of us have taken at least one personality test over the course of our lifetime. Some prefer StrengthsFinder, others appreciate Myers–Briggs, but each with the same objective: to better understand who we are and what we should do.

The popularity of these tests has only skyrocketed in recent years. Thousands of companies use them as recruiting tools and countless individuals use them as a means to answer some of life’s big questions.

And these tests (or inventories) appeal to a part of us because we sense a certain longing to know why we’re here and, most importantly, what exactly we were placed on earth to accomplish.

We Are Made for a Purpose

As Christians, we know that the time and circumstances of our birth were not arbitrarily selected or the product of random chance. We worship a God who, before our birth, knew us in the womb and took the time to know each of us intimately. As scripture reminds us, “Even the very hairs on our heads were carefully numbered.” Everything we are and anything we dare to do is ultimately a gift from our Creator.

These truths—that God created and intimately knows each and every one of us—are certainly the starting point to any fruitful journey of ‘self-discovery,’ but by no means should we stop there. Although many skeptics might disagree, I see personality tests as helpful tools we can use to keep the conversation going as we seek to better understand the gifts and abilities that the Lord has so generously given us.

While the old maxim ‘to each his own’ rings true, I have personally found Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator helpful over the years. And as it turns out, so do around 10,000 companies, 2,500 colleges and universities, and 200 government agencies.

Discovering Our Strengths and Weaknesses

Each person receives four letters—mine are ENTJ—with each serving as a specific descriptor of the individual’s personality. There are eight total, making for 16 possible personality types. ‘E,’ for example, stands for extrovert; it means being around and working with other people gives me energy. Others are classified as introverts, meaning alone time and quiet contemplation are most helpful for them. Going down the line, ‘N’ stands for intuitive and its counterpart is ‘S’ for sensing. The next category is ‘T’ for thinking or ‘F’ for feeling and the last is either ‘J’ for judging or ‘P’ for perceiving.

Read More