Who else would I be? I can’t help being me. Every morning I look in the mirror and see the same guy. Throughout the day that same person stares back at me in the mirror. I may look frazzled or relaxed, overwhelmed or tired but essentially I am the same person. I am me.

I have become who I am through the experiences of my life.

While what I see in the mirror may or may not reflect the difficulties and triumphs of my life, the way I behave and the way I respond definitely does. Built upon the unique personality assigned by my creator and the imperfections assigned by sin in this world, my life experiences create the man behind the reflection in the mirror.

I am me, created by God.

I have a high “D” and a slightly lower “I” personality. I took the test and that is who I am according to the DISC inventor.  “D” type is dominant, “I” type is inspiring, “S” type is supportive, “C” type is cautious. I have been informed that there is no right way to be, no letter in the DISC personality inventory to strive for but rather now I know who I am.

Isn’t that great? I am a dominant person who likes to inspire people. This is who I am, this is me. The test revealed the person behind the reflection, the person God created. “D” and “I” are my personality, the test said so. Don’t try and change me because I don’t need to change, I am me.

I am me, created by God and damaged by the world.

There are many more personality tests and conflict resolution assessments available. I have no axe to grind with them. As a matter of fact, every test of this kind that I have taken has been bang on. Like an x-ray of my personality, these tests have gone far beyond my appearance to the root of who I am.

The problem begins when I take these tests as an assessment of who God created me to be. I may be everything these tests say I am but that doesn’t mean I am who God created me to be.

I am me because I am flawed.

I am me because what God created me to be has been damaged by the world around me.

I am me because even if God created me to be a high “D” and a slightly lower “I” personality, when I live them out I do not live them with the perfection required to be the me God created me to be.

I am me, created by God and damaged by the world but that is no excuse.

There is a very fine line between an excuse and a reason. Excuse is a reason taken beyond the realm of understanding why to explaining why it is not my responsibility.

It is so easy to assign the personality I have to the God who created me and then tell others to deal with it because God made me that way.

It is just as easy to assign the personality I have to the life I have experienced and then tell others to deal with it because it’s not my fault I am this way.

I am me and you are you but are we who God wants us to be?

To know our strengths and our weaknesses can be the worst thing possible for our Christian walk. The industry of leadership training would take a different stand on the usefulness of finding out who we are but I stand by my assertion that “to know our strengths and our weaknesses can be the worst thing possible for our Christian walk.”

It is too easy to replace the power of God and His desire to transform us with the outcome of a personality test or conflict resolution assessments.

I need to know who I am so I can understand who I need to be.

To know our strengths and our weaknesses can be the best thing we can do for our Christian walk. It appears that I have flip-flopped on the usefulness of finding out who we are. Still, I stand by my first assertion that “to know our strengths and our weaknesses can be the worst thing possible for our Christian walk” and my second assertion that “to know our strengths and our weaknesses can be the best thing we can do for our Christian walk.”

It is not easy but very beneficial to allow the power of God and His desire to transform us to take the outcome of a personality test or a conflict resolution assessment and teach us how to be more than just the “me” created by my experiences.

Most likely who you are is not the person God created you to be but God wants that to change.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 (NIV)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

I want the “me” that I am to be the me God intended me to be.