Ode to a bull in a china shop—a tribute to my husband
He’s a classic Type Eight, in the style of John Wayne and Martin Luther King Jr. Alex knows instinctively when something is rotten in Denmark and will immediately rush into battle to make it right. He got into a loud and very public argument with a political candidate during Colorado Springs’ Territory Days, and former DA Dan May threatened Alex with a lawsuit for a letter he wrote to the local paper questioning May’s support for the U.S. Constitution. Alex venerates America's founding fathers and is saddened that their spirit is vanishing from our land.
Alex has taken on corrupt government agencies and is currently a plaintiff in a Right to Petition lawsuit against the Department of Justice. He despises evil and injustice with a passion I have rarely seen. He has been willing to sacrifice much in his fight for justice and righteousness. He has pledged his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor to oppose tyranny in all its forms. Many a patriot has been able to rely on Alex for support, encouragement, prayer, and whatever practical assistance he could provide.
As a typical Eight, Alex is no diplomat. I can’t count how many family gatherings have been ruined or upset by his knack for bluntness. Eights actively “seek conflict or come right out and create it” (Rohr and Ebert 163). Eights have the need to be against—to fight the unbeatable foe, to run where the brave dare not go.
Eights have many gifts, and the world would be a much darker place without them: “Their passion for justice and truth often leads them to side with the oppressed and defenseless . . . For the sake of justice eights are willing to fight the powers that be with every available weapon” (Rohr and Ebert 163-164). In such an effort, Alex even became an area coordinator for the American Jury Institute in its attempt to bring justice back to American courtrooms.
Eights are in good company, including Martin Luther King Jr. “and many other Christians who understood the gospel as political” (Rohr and Ebert 177).
Alex is one of my heroes. If I hadn’t married him, I’d be a sniveling little coward worshipping at the altar of security. I wouldn’t have as much appreciation for the Old Testament prophets who continually pointed God’s people to the weighty matters of truth and justice and defended the rights of the oppressed. I wouldn’t understand that when Jesus died on the cross, He was fighting for the underdog—and won the ultimate battle against the ultimate tyrant.
Living with an Eight is a challenge for us Sixes, whose main desire is security. “While ones reform the system from within, eights tend to climb out of the system and throw stones at it. That… frightens people. It’s easy to fear and hate eights” (Rohr and Ebert 166).
But “when you’re really poor, helpless, and weak, the eight’s protective instinct is aroused, and they will do anything to assist you.” Eights have “a passion and a total commitment to truth, life, and justice” (Rohr and Ebert 167).
Aside from knowing my Savior, loving an Eight has been the greatest privilege of my life. I can’t imagine what I would be if I hadn’t known the wonder and pain, blessing and hardship, of being married to an Eight.
Bibliography
Rohr, Richard and Andreas Ebert. The Enneagram: a Christian Perspective. New York: Crossroad, 2002
Alex has taken on corrupt government agencies and is currently a plaintiff in a Right to Petition lawsuit against the Department of Justice. He despises evil and injustice with a passion I have rarely seen. He has been willing to sacrifice much in his fight for justice and righteousness. He has pledged his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor to oppose tyranny in all its forms. Many a patriot has been able to rely on Alex for support, encouragement, prayer, and whatever practical assistance he could provide.
As a typical Eight, Alex is no diplomat. I can’t count how many family gatherings have been ruined or upset by his knack for bluntness. Eights actively “seek conflict or come right out and create it” (Rohr and Ebert 163). Eights have the need to be against—to fight the unbeatable foe, to run where the brave dare not go.
Eights have many gifts, and the world would be a much darker place without them: “Their passion for justice and truth often leads them to side with the oppressed and defenseless . . . For the sake of justice eights are willing to fight the powers that be with every available weapon” (Rohr and Ebert 163-164). In such an effort, Alex even became an area coordinator for the American Jury Institute in its attempt to bring justice back to American courtrooms.
Eights are in good company, including Martin Luther King Jr. “and many other Christians who understood the gospel as political” (Rohr and Ebert 177).
Alex is one of my heroes. If I hadn’t married him, I’d be a sniveling little coward worshipping at the altar of security. I wouldn’t have as much appreciation for the Old Testament prophets who continually pointed God’s people to the weighty matters of truth and justice and defended the rights of the oppressed. I wouldn’t understand that when Jesus died on the cross, He was fighting for the underdog—and won the ultimate battle against the ultimate tyrant.
Living with an Eight is a challenge for us Sixes, whose main desire is security. “While ones reform the system from within, eights tend to climb out of the system and throw stones at it. That… frightens people. It’s easy to fear and hate eights” (Rohr and Ebert 166).
But “when you’re really poor, helpless, and weak, the eight’s protective instinct is aroused, and they will do anything to assist you.” Eights have “a passion and a total commitment to truth, life, and justice” (Rohr and Ebert 167).
Aside from knowing my Savior, loving an Eight has been the greatest privilege of my life. I can’t imagine what I would be if I hadn’t known the wonder and pain, blessing and hardship, of being married to an Eight.
Bibliography
Rohr, Richard and Andreas Ebert. The Enneagram: a Christian Perspective. New York: Crossroad, 2002
posted by Julie at 4/04/2007 11:11:00 PM
7 Comments:
I like him already! D
Well, I don't yet know what "type" I am, but speaking as a snivelling little coward who worships at the altar of security, I am most definitely and assuredly NOT an eight! :-)
Thanks for letting us see this side of Alex in all his misunderstood glory! This helps me appreciate him more. And what a wonderful thing for Alex that God gave him such a devoted and courageous wife (however much you might try to deny it! :-)
Thanks, Beth! Interestingly, though I am very obviously a type six (who need to feel secure), I have done things that most type sixes would never ever do in a million trillion years, including selling my house, leaving a fulfulling and financially secure job, and moving more than half-way across the country with no job prospects whatsoever! Ironically, though the "root sin" of a type six is fear, our greatest gift is courage. I guess it goes to show how God can turn our weaknesses into strengths.
And David, whenever I tell Alex about your blogs, he keeps saying he wants to meet you. Today he asked me, "Where does this guy live?" When I told him, he looked crestfallen and said, "Guess the chances of us going there are next to nothing, huh?"
The Enneagram is a popular New Age tool which has found its way into Catholic practices, including parish classes and in retreat programs. The Enneagram is derived from a group called the Sufis, who are a mystical offshoot of Muslims that follow various pagan spiritualities. Besides its occult roots, the Enneagram is built upon pagan beliefs. Therefore, like horoscopes, the Enneagram is absolutely incompatible with Christian values.
http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/enneagram.htm
vs.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=53&chapter=13&version=50
Thanks for your comment, miss bonita. I encourage you to read the book, "The Enneagram: a Christian Perspective," to discover the fascinating parallels between the Enneagram and the biblical concept of sin and redemption. This may sound radical coming from a Bible-believing Christian, but I have found that Christians can make wise use even of ideas and concepts that have pagan roots. For example, Christian writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis used the motif of magic to introduce Christian themes to readers who might never pick up a Bible. Interestingly, Lewis said that it was pagan mythological which led him to consider the possibilty that God even existed. So before you dismiss something as being absolutely imcompatible with Christian values, perhaps you should consider that the Holy Spirit can use the most unlikely things to draw people to the truth.
Actually, the work of the Holy Spirit is to comfort His people. It is God, that draws the person to Himself (the Truth, Way and the Life), but I digress...
Please do not be offended... as a believer in Christ, I would not recommend this type of book to find spiritual enlightenment. Using pagan materials is the fastest way to dismiss the inner workings of the Spirit out of your life and to open yourself up to other influences. Another reason to not use pagan materials is that they are false teachings... no matter how good they look or how logical it might sound to the reader. As belivers in the One True God, we are called to separate ourselves from the world. This includes separating ourselves from pagan beliefs and teachings which are falsehoods against the One True God. Here's what the scriptures say about false teachings and teachers like the authors of that book:
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Matthew 7:15
For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel. Ezekiel 12:24
More: Proverbs 12:17, Proverbs 14:25, Proverbs 21:28, Isaiah 44:25, Jeremiah 7:1-3, Jeremiah 14:14, Jeremiah 23:32,Jeremiah 23:33, Lamentations 2:14, Ezekiel 13:6, Ezekiel 13:9, Habakkuk 2:3, Malachi 2:6, Matthew 24:11, Matthew 24:24, Luke 18:20, John 7:18, 2 Corinthians 11:13, Ephesians 4:25, 1 Timothy 6:20-21, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1, 1 John 4:6, Revelation 2:2.
(PS-PLEASE do not read more into this-I'm not saying that you or your husband are false teachers. Rather I'm giving advice to Godly people who may read your blog to be careful of pagan spiritualism)
Thanks for the warning, miss bonita. It is indeed wise to be cautious of pagan spiritualism. I am curious what you think of C.S. Lewis and other Christians who have used pagan motifs, such as magic, in their writings. Even the apostle Paul appealed to the Anthenians' knowledge of the pagan poets of Greece to gain an audience in Athens. Therefore, he must have been familiar with their writings. I'd be interested in your thoughts on this.
About the role of the Holy Spirit: I thought Jesus said in one of the gospels that the Spirit would convict the world of truth, but I can't find the verse. Does it sound familiar to you? (I may be remembering it wrong).
Thanks again for visiting my blog! :)
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