Sybil

Years ago I heard a lady say that she had so much work to get done over the course of the weekend, it was a good thing she brought all of her personalities. It was a great line, we all laughed. However, as the weekend went on, I began to see some truth in her humor! And not just in her, several people packed a wide variety of personalities that emerged as lack of sleep and stressful conditions increased. It was very inspirational to see peace and good will emerge in worship and somewhat scary to see that peace and good will be swallow up in terse conversation and strong jaw lines when things weren't going quite as well. Just exactly how many personalities does each person get issued?

I have noticed this a lot since stepping into ministry full time. I would like to believe it's because accounting people are not so subject to mood swings, but I suspect it is more because back in the bookkeeping days I was working a lot on my own. It is soooo easy to remain level when you can come and go fairly quickly. I used to call it the touch and go method of connecting. The stop, eye contact, conversation, hand to the shoulder or arm, pat, pat, pat, get in the car and done for another week. It really has a lot of merit and one size fits all when it comes to inter-relating.

The ministry thing is a lot tougher for me. First, I am in an office with a whole lot of people, this is not always good. Then, when people come, well, they stay a lot longer than a touch and go visit. Worse, people are beginning to figure me out. They have noted that my neck flushes when I am annoyed or embarrassed or sucking up something I am really dying to say. I have also been told that my voice goes up an octave and I become overly sweet and polite. I guess these are some of my alternative personalities coming to work with me to help me keep my job. I think there is a pretty serious curmudgeon personality in me that could be a challenge if it weren't for these other characters kicking in to provide interference.

There is a very funny personality that I just love and provides the comic relief I need so often. It is a good thing I enjoy this one because I have noticed that while I tickle myself often, sometimes I am the only one laughing. I have a couple of dear friends who also have these personalities and when we get together, we just tickle ourselves silly. There is a deeply serious, focused, passionate personality that gets incensed with ineffectiveness and things that waste time. It suffers fools poorly and really needs that squeaky voiced character to step in and remind it to breathe deeply and count to one billion before it speaks. Sadly, it is stronger than squeaky and on occasion I have seen it forcibly eject squeaky right out of my head. There is the social personality that loves a party and the deeply introverted one that hides to read and re-cooperate. You know, there are so many personalities in here, it is no wonder I weigh so much.

I think the only difference between Sybil and me is that all my personalities talk to each other, they all interact pretty well and all of them except for the passionate one and the curmudgeon one, can be taken out into public. Even the passionate intense one can see the light of day if it can be brought to allow the squeaky polite one to interject at the appropriate time. They all have the same voice, mine, and they all really want the same thing, their own way. If I was fortunate enough to be able to control them all with a tazer I am sure I would be a model of decorum. In fact, people would be writing books right now entitled, Be Like Susan, She is Super. Don't ask the Booksamillion folks when this might be on the shelves. That kind of question makes them irritable.

Do you see why we need so much grace? All those personalities to cover. Good luck with that this week.