Spiritual Contemplations for those who serve the Lord |
Flexibility is one of the traits of the mature personality. It is defined to be the person’s ability to cope with change. Its linguistic meaning is the ability of something to be bent without being broken. Opposite to the flexible personality is the rigid one, and it is the personality which resists change even if it is minor and holds strongly upon what she got used to regarding patterns, manners, attitudes, relationships, persons and places. The Holy Spirit and one's flexible personalityA person whose personality is flexible is the place where the Holy Spirit finds rest because such person is ready to easily and smoothly accept the Holy Spirit forming of him and of all his life’s events like the clay in the hands of the potter (Jeremiah 18:6). As for those whose personalities are rigid, they are the most resistant people to the work of the Holy Spirit within them. In such case, God, who is the clever physician of souls, is pushed many times to hand them to different tribulations so that they come out of these tribulations delivered from every rigidity and severity. The story of Job is a clear example of that. The furnace of tribulation fulfilled its role in melting all hardness present within him and lead him finally to proclaim, “I will question you, and you shall answer me” (Job 42:4). Opposite to Job’s personality, are a lot of other figures in the Holy Bible who showed high degrees of flexibility that made God’s hand free in working within and through them.
then to endure the suffering of fleeing to Egypt and coming back to live in Nazareth. She then followed her son Jesus everywhere with the other Maries, a sword pierced her soul when she saw her son crucified and finally she moved to live in the house of John the beloved till her departure. What a great flexibility this great saint, who was really filled with the Holy Spirit, showed making her an easy dough in His hands!! Also among examples of flexible personalities is Abram the patriarch who, as soon as God ordered him to get out of his country, family and his father’s house, immediately obeyed and went out “not knowing where he was going” (Hebrew 11:8). He even, when ordered to offer Isaac, showed a very strange flexibility and obeyed. Flexibility was also shown in the different events of calling the disciples who as soon as they heard the call of Jesus Christ forsook everything and immediately followed Him. Among them were those who forsook their discipleship to John the Baptist, their nets and the tax office. As for St. Paul, he was unusual in his flexibility and said, “For I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4: 11-12) Causes of inflexible personality
Virtues associated with flexibility
Finally, I like to remind you of a wonderful statement in the fraction to the Son that can be your daily prayer in order to get from God flexibility added to flexibility. This statement says, “O My Lord Jesus, My beloved, if you see me as a withered organ, soften me with the oil of your grace” * Adapted from HGBY monthly clergical spouse letters - July 2016
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