In Defense of the Enneagram 8
In defense of the Enneagram 8….
Last night my roommate was at a little party, in which some folks were discussing Enneagram personalities; apparently, in the conversation, several people said things like:
Can you imagine living with an 8?
I’d hate to ever live with an 8!
8s love fighting and want to fight all the time.
My roommate spoke up at that point, and said, “Actually Ariel is an 8, and we never fight. She’s a great roommate!” She told me all this when she got home, and I know—I KNOW—she didn’t intend to cause me any hurt. If anything she was defending me, and rightly so, yet as I replayed the conversation in my head later, it DID hurt me.
From my earliest days, I’ve known I had a “strong personality” as others have defined me. My type shows up on those charts as the “worst” character: Darth Vader, Adolf Hitler, Napoleon, just to name a few. Yeesh. Thanks a lot.
But here’s what those charts mean: I am confident when others are insecure. I am decisive when others waffle. While others are still processing what they really think, I’ve already spoken up to give my perspective AND a strategic plan. Definitively.
I am fearless, strong, and vocal, and you know what? GOD CREATED ME to be who I am.
Here’s what 8s do: We motivate everyone; we’re basically superheroes in protecting and defending others. 8s who work in social justice, non-profits, and hey!-missionary work!- literally change the world. They do it because they have almost unstoppable passion and conviction. They take initiative and use their inner drive to accomplish great things. Because we’re not people pleasers or indecisive, we don’t get side-tracked or fail to finish what we start. We’re generally highly competent people and natural leaders. We’re vocal, because God wants us to use our voices.
I remember the day I read in Isaiah 49:2 “The LORD called Me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named Me. He made My mouth like a sharp sword….” It felt like the heavens opened and I heard angles singing. It all made sense! HE CREATED ME to be who I am.
He created me to be part of His Kingdom plan and purpose. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” He created me to be His minister.
“God’s handiwork” applies to ALL believers, even Enneagram 8s. Of COURSE, we have our faults—like every other enneagram number or personality type! But we’re not ALL faults. And as for living with 8 - you should BE so lucky! Living with an 8 means you live an organized life, where meals are planned and closets are organized. Where we relax and snuggle on the couch at night, because home is the secure place where we DON’T have to fight or defend or power through….at home, we’re mostly reading books on self-improvement quietly in the corner, or setting goals in our journals, tracking all our exercise miles, or working on new personal projects like canning strawberry jam (that we’ll probably give away to all their friends, because we are generous like that!).
Now here’s the bottom line: the Enneagram is a great tool. I find it interesting. Sometimes I find it funny, to see myself in illustrations.
But I do not find it DEFINITIVE. Why?
It is in CHRIST that I live and move and have my being. It is in HIM that I find out who I am (not the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs or anything else). It is in HIM that I find out why I’m living, and all of my personality—that which HE created—is surrendered to HIM.
I work out my quirks in HIS grace.
I walk out my faith in HIS guidance, not my own.
I win my battles in HIS strength, not mine.
As long as I am living as a surrendered disciple of Christ, my personality is on His altar, along with the rest of me, offered a living sacrifice to Him and transformed into Christlikeness by the renewing of my mind—and enneagram number.