Spiritual Gifts (Charisms) and Personality

[MysticMissMisty]

Sakvete, omnes!

(First of all, my apologies if I have placed this in the wrong forum! I wasn’t quite sure where to put it.)

Some of the gifts of the Spirit listed in Sacred Scripture include gifts such as encouragement. However, how do we distinguish the so-called “gift” of encouragement from that which is naturally a part of our personality? How do we distinguish any “gift” of such kind from that which comes with our natural personality or personality type?

Or, are they even to be distinguished? Or is this a distinction without a difference, as they say?

Are charisms such as encouragement and the like actually the same thing as aspects of our personalities? Are they considered “gifts” because either a) they are natural (not acquired in some way) and/or b) because they (ultimately) go back to GOd’s permitting them or maybe even c) because they are acquired and even strengthened by spiritual discipline?

I have always thought of spiritual gifts as gifts that are, as it were, inserted directly into us upon baptism directly from God. So, in the case of the gift of encouragement, this interpretation would suggest that it has nothing at all to do with our own personality but is something supernaturally implanted by God completely apart from our own personality. So, then, God works His Very Own encouragement directly through us with very little to no influence of our own personality.

I have also wondered how to distinguish (if there even is a distinction) between characteristics of our own personality acquired naturally/genetically/through practice and those divinely given as gifts of the Holy Spirit. If I have the ability to empathize/encourage others, is it a natural talent or is it a supernatural (spiritual) gift? IF this ability has existed in me even before baptism (say, if I was baptized late, not being a “cradle Catholic”), on my initial understanding of spiritual gifts, I would say that the gift was natural, since it existed before my baptism. Is this the correct understanding? Again, how are we to know whether gifts of this sort (those seemingly closely also connected to natural personality traits) are natural or divinely given?

Am I perhaps confusing gifts like this with charismata like, say, speaking in tongues or healings which are much more clearly divinely given/influenced? Are the gifts that are clearly more, in a sense, divine to be distinguished in some way from those connected to personality which may actually be linked to or even one with one’s individual personality?

Possibly, gifts like encouragement/empathy/etc. are to be considered “spiritual gifts” bcause they are gifts of the (our) spirit (lower s) or beause they are gifts relating to spiritual things, but not necessarily gifts directly given by the Holy Spirit? All the gifts, including the “move divine” ones (as I call them), then, could be considered “spiritual” because they all relate to “the spirit” (lower s) or the “spiritual” element of life? Is this completely heretical or might I be onto something here?

Sorry, guys, I’m just really confused on all this, particularly how individual personality relates to spiritual gifts. Any clarity on this would be much appreciated from either you guys or from other sources toward which you might be able to point me.

Gratias vobis.

 

[Casilda]

All good gifts come from God above.

James 1
17 Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

 

[po18guy]

Turn it around. If you were baptized as an infant, your personality may very well be based on, a product of, your charisms - which came first.

 

[Avila123]

Firstly, we all receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord) which are ours to keep. The other gifts, often called charisms are the gifts given to us to give away and to help build up the Church, so they are focused outward. They are the tools given to us to accomplish our vocation or mission. We do not know for certain how many of the latter there are, although some are mentioned in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians, 12 and Ephesians. So it often isn’t straightforward.

To try to identify or explore which charisms we have been blessed with takes time and discernment. There are some programs which help people to discern their charisms e.g. The Called and Gifted program (which was a helpful tool for me). Receiving guidance is important to help to prayerfully be aware of feedback and balancing that with our personalities e.g. a person receives positive feedback after helping with young children but has low self-esteem and dismisses it as people being kind or trying to increase the number of catechists, whereas it was a positive affirmation that this was something to be explored. Yet when they started discernment, Teaching as a charism did not emerge until they seriously explored the charism of Knowledge and were then open to understanding that they had received regular affirmations that this was the direction to head into.

So someone might think they have the chrism of Encouragement, but careful discernment may reveal that they actually have the charism of Helps, Mercy or Wisdom. Charisms work with our personalities but what might hold us back is worldly baggage e.g. as mentioned earlier low self esteem - not humbleness but others pushing us down to make themselves look or feel better.

I hope this helps a little.

 

[MysticMissMisty]

Thanks, guys, but I still don’t think that any of this goes far enough to answer my complex questions above about personality versus the gifts of the spirit like fortitude or encouragement.

I would very much appreciate it if someone (or some folks) could take each question (or at least most questions) one-by-one and try to answer them precisely. Such questions, again, are things like how does personality interact with the gifts of the spirit? Are they one in the same? Different? Distinct? How do we distinguish between spiritual gifts like these and our own personalities? Do spiritual gifts actually change our personalities from what they were before by a literal implantation of new aspects of personality that did not exist before through supernatural means of implantation? How do we know that, say, fortitude or encouragement is simply God in us giving us the emotion/feeling/acting and how do we know when it is us feeling/acting in ways of fortitude/encouragement/etc.?

 

[reggieM]

Such questions, again, are things like how does personality interact with the gifts of the spirit?

Hi Misty - when you ask “how does personality interact …” it’s too difficult to separate such things, at least from the spiritual reading I’ve done. Also, interestingly - it seems you’re a Protestant so we’d certainly have a major problem trying to answer that question from the Bible alone. Beyond that, I don’t think spiritual teachers would look at your questions in that way. Our personality is shaped by the gifts of the spirit - keeping in mind that the Spirit created our personality also. The gifts of the spirit do not emerge from personality. The Holy Spirit shapes us. Even non-Christians are shaped by God and influenced by Him.

Are they one in the same?

Gifts of the Spirit come directly from God. Personality is a human characteristic, shaped by our own decisions. We can improve our personality. We can change it.

Different?

Yes, as above. Our personality is also determined by our physical characteristics, conditions at birth, genetics. The Gifts of the Spirit are supernatural - transcending physical.

Distinct?

Yes, the Gift of Prophecy is something given to a person, and a person’s personality can be changed by it.

How do we distinguish between spiritual gifts like these and our own personalities?

If we ever need to do that, which I can’t find a reason why one would need that, but we would pray and ask God. If you can actually sense something spiritual, then you can ask God’s advice and He will show you.

Do spiritual gifts actually change our personalities from what they were before by a literal implantation of new aspects of personality that did not exist before through supernatural means of implantation?

Yes. Our personality is shaped by what we do. There are natural elements, but by good habits and virtues we can change, improve and direct those elements to have a different personality over time. The Gifts of the Spirit change us also.

How do we know that, say, fortitude or encouragement is simply God in us giving us the emotion/feeling/acting and how do we know when it is us feeling/acting in ways of fortitude/encouragement/etc.?

It’s experimental. Let’s say that you’re naturally timid. You enter into situations and you want to back-away, afraid to stand up. Then, you pray for fortitude and the Holy Spirit gives you that gift. Now, you go into the same setting where you were timid, and you are bold. That is the gift of God helping you.