Butterfly Chasers and Those Who Hate Them (from July 11th by Mandy Kampen)
By Mandy Kampen
Our final Sunday school class around spiritual practices and the Myers-Briggs focused on the fourth spectrum in the inventory: J and P. I have to confess: these are the two labels I dislike most, but I’ll define them anyway.
(J)Judging folx approach the flow of life and time with a philosophy that holds that structure is the path to freedom. Those who lean in this direction have a fantastic work ethic and schedule their play to make the most of their leisure time. When making decisions, they gather the necessary information and want to get to the point. Their idea of hell is chaos and disorganization, and their spiritual path is discipline. They understand that God shows up in the routine, the process, the sense of order. Needed for balance: a dash of spontaneity.
(P)Perceiving-leaning people, on the other hand, prefer a responsive flow of life and time. These are the people with great play ethics who gamify their lives to enjoy them. They will gather and gather and gather information, waiting until the last possible moment to make a final decision. God shows up for these folx in the moment, the now, what is - shorthand for this idea is mindfulness. Reality is about the process, not the destination. Needed for balance: intentionality.
Js would do well not to assign moral superiority to their structures, order, or, especially, the idea of discipline. This concept has been weaponized in many religious contexts to the detriment of many people for whom this isn’t a value. In the journey to understand and work with the Ps in their life, letting go of discipline as a moral value will serve them well.
We need our Js to help us stay on track, make decisions, and embrace the freedom that comes with structure and routine.
The typical idea of a “quiet time” actually does work for our Js!
Ps sometimes need to accept that, at some point, things just need to get done, be decided, be acted upon. While we can sometimes be a bit dramatic, we aren’t actually going to die if we implement some structure into our lives. And doing so can itself be an act of service to those who depend on us and feel a little shaky when dealing with our go-with-the-flow.
Ps bring an awareness of process and mindfulness that does make a significant difference to our communities. And more and more tools are being created to help us gamify routines - in class, we learned that several of us use the Finch app, for example, to support our self-care goals!
This class has hopefully brought many of us to new practices, understandings, and opportunities to encounter the divine. Each of us reflects a unique aspect of God, and God seeks to connect with each of us in that uniqueness. I hope you are each surprised by the Holy Spirit this summer as She sprinkles glimmer and grace all around you.