Love in the Dining Room 3 (Sanguine)

Published by Angela | Filed under Personalities, Relationships, Speaking Notes

Love in the Dining Room is natural for the Sanguine because we love to talk and fellowship.  Opening the door to our best friend is enjoyable and anticipated.  However, communion with God begins to feel like an obligation rather than a privilege when the Sanguine is expected to fulfill the systems approach to devotions.   We compare ourselves to the Proper, Perfect Melancholy (previous post) and find ourselves lacking.

The Playful, Popular Sanguine is the bright flowers of the Personality Puzzle.  While the Proper Melancholy is doing the deep, serious Bible Study the Playful Sanguine just wants to have some fun and fellowship.  Being a social butterfly, the expectations of the serious student are just too much of a burden for the Sanguine who is interested in the stories and quick applications of the Bible. 

The Sanguine struggles with the routine of “systems” that don’t seem to work for us.  We need variety, interaction, and creative expressions to keep us motivated and committed.  We enjoy loud, exciting worship music and short devotionals. God is our best friend and we just want to spend some time fellowshipping.  

As we read the Word we get interested in a story and cross references it to another scripture and then another, but never get back to finish that 3.5 chapters for the day. There goes our goal of reading through the Bible in a year.  Feeling like a failure we think, “Whats the use?”

What’s a Playful, Popular Sanguine to do?  Help is on the way:

• Keep persevering.  Sanguines give up too easily.  Give yourself two or three years to read through the Bible. 
• Find a translation that keeps your interest and is easier to read.  Just keep reading for continuity and learning.
• Get the Narrated Bible for 365 days of  undated reading. Then it won’t matter where you start or when you finish.
• Join a small group Bible Study.  It will give you fellowship, a place to talk about what you are learning and desperately needed accountability.
• Since Sanguines are better talkers than listeners, practice listening.  Remember reading the Word is listening for God’s voice in His story. 
• Write down what you hear so you won’t forget it.
• Since you are a good communicator, pray throughout the day in sentence prayers as people or needs come to your mind.  Praise and thank God for things as you see or experience them. 
• You’re good at being spontaneous so go ahead and respond to God as your personality desires.  Be true to yourself.
• Put variety into your devotions — go outside in nature, Starbucks, McDonalds - draw, dance, write a psalm - just change it up to keep it fresh.
• Notice what you are doing when you feel closer to God and keep doing it even if it’s not the prescribed method.
• Realize you need a closer relationship with God than your many friends.  Go for intimacy.
• You are a relator by nature, keep the relationship growing and fresh with God.
• Be your creative self.  Don’t compare yourself to others — just enjoy being wonderful you.

 As the Playful, Popular Sanguine has the freedom to pursue relationship with God on their own terms they will grow and be ready to stretch and try other methods that might not be as comfortable.  Love in the dining room will be fullfilling and natural as we look forward to sharing our life as well as our words.