I know, I know. Who DOESN’T want to talk about this right now! The Enneagram maybe be all the hype these days, but I gotta tell ya, there is a reason! If you are wondering what all this is about, this post is for you!
I was first introduced to this by Ashley at the Creative @ Heart Conference in August. I took the quiz online, did a little reading about it, but never actually dug in! Then, a few months back my mom got sucked in…deep! She read The Road Back to You and has done some serious research on it! After hearing her talk about it for weeks I finally read the book and…oh man. This thing is crazy!!!
Here’s what I’m talking about: the Enneagram is a set of 9 different personality types. They say that each person falls into one of the types (labeled as numbers ranging from 1-9). I have to admit I was skeptical at first! I read several chapters thinking I wouldn’t have that “ah-ha” moment where I magically discovered what number I was…and then I did!! It was actually a little freaky!! The chapter about my number was reminding me of things I’d done and thoughts I vividly remember having all the way back to age 10 or younger!
I am always fascinated by personality types, but this one is especially great because it is viewed (at least in the book I read) from a Christian perspective. Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile (the authors of The Road Back to You) say this in the second chapter “The Enneagram is not exclusively psychological, nor is it feel-good, self-help pabulum when taught correctly. (By the way, if my “self” could have helped my “self”, don’t you think it would have done it by now?) The true purpose of the Enneagram is to reveal to you your shadow side and offer spiritual counsel on how to open it to the transformative light of grace.” The Enneagram, unlike other personality categorizations doesn’t just focus on telling you what you are like, rather it teaches you to take the areas you struggle with most and bring them to the Lord. Only He can truly transform us.
I’ve loved this approach because to me “self-help” feels very anti-gospel. The truth is that we can’t help ourselves, that’s why we need Jesus. But if this tool can help me see what areas of my heart I need to surrender to Christ’s restorative power, I’m all about it! This book has also made me much more sensitive to others around me once I know what “number” they are. My mom and I keep having hilarious conversations about how our habits relate to our numbers. Knowing her number as well as several other people in my live’s has softened my heart to things I used to find frustrating and given me awareness to the things about me that they probably find frustrating!
As with anything, I don’t want to take it too far or read too much into anything! It is merely a tool, not a label or identity. While everyone may fall into one of the numbers, every person is different and it manifests in different ways, so I wouldn’t take it too seriously. That said, it truly has been an eye opening, heart-softening, and clarifying read!
There are many books about the Enneagram, but I am happy I started with this one! I would highly recommend giving it a read or listen!
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