God teaches

I've recently been introduced to a book that I cannot get enough of. It's called Vessels & Flowers by Sally Pickard and Brenda Dulmage and it's completely transformed my way of thinking about and interacting with others.

The book is a look at why women of God function and behave the way they do. They explain how we are born with a set number of receptors which allow our brain to take in information in different ways, making us an introvert or an extrovert accordingly. This determines our temperament. The temperament demonstrates itself in one of 5 vessels: The Vase, the Basket, the Golden Pouch, the Pitcher and the Velvet Box (in order from most extroverted to most introverted). I am a pitcher.

The way we display our temperament is described through our flowers: the Tulip (leader), Iris (teacher), Rose (perceiver), Orchid (economist), Dogwood (facilitator), Daisy (encourager), and Pansy (comforter). I am a dogwood.

I live with a Pouch/pansy, a Pitcher/tulip, and a Basket/daisy. It has explained SO MUCH! Seriously. It explains why we handle situations differently, how we think about certain problems, how we get our feelings hurt, how we show love, how we feel loved, what we need to feel comfortable and confident.. And on and on. The women explain how vessels of honor are reflective of their creator and are not limited to one vessel or one flower since God can bless you with multiple functions, but it does explain so much about the different qualities you find in the primary vessels and flowers.

If you want to know more, and you should, you can buy the book here: http://www.vesselsandflowers.com/

I've also been encouraged to love others differently once I am able to recognize their needs more readily. By seeing how people interact and respond to situations, we've adopted our own vessels and flowers lingo... its so interesting!

But the most important thing I've learned in this process is that the Lord can consistently teach you through others. The Lord uses people in my life to teach such hard lessons: lessons about letting go, trust, being vulnerable, needing others, and pursuing healthy, God honoring friendships. I feel as if lately God has placed me on the outside of so many situations only to say sit back and watch me move. Watch how I am going to grow these friends of yours up in their faith, and you can't do anything for them but encourage and pray for them in the process as they learn. It's a hard place to be. Part of being a Pitcher is wanting to always control the situation and find the most practical answer. Well, there also lies the most challenging aspect of being a Pitcher: giving God control. And He has faithfully taught me the pros and cons of this over the last few months. I am thankful for the friendships God has placed in my life and grateful to be growing, but its been challenging in so many ways. God is capable of handling not only my problems but everyone else's as well!