Polly Phlegmatic - Counsel

There are many Polly Phlegmatics in our group of friends across the country, but very few of them will ever seek help even when they recognize they have a problem.  There is one Polly in particular that comes to my mind.  She was just about as fearful and introverted as any phlegmatic I have ever known.  On the surface her friends were never aware that she had this turmoil going on inside, for she presented herself to others as a very calm, self-confident, and capable person.  But one day she seemed to come unglued and confessed to me that what she represented on the outside was not at all what was taking place on the inside.  (Even phlegmatics have their breaking points.)

She confessed how fearful she was of other people and how inadequate she thought she was. When asked to serve on a board in the church, she refused with a flimsy excuse.  And when other leadership and ministry opportunities arose, she repeatedly responded the same way.  It was then that she began to realize that she was cheating herself of many opportunities to serve Christ by her fear and indifference.  Her children and husband were all active in the ministry of their church, but she was the one on the outside -- uninvolved, indifferent, and supernegative.  Finally, this began to show in her mental attitude toward her family and the church until, on one particular day, this dear lady faced the reality that she was being left in the dust spiritually as a result of her fear and selfishness.  I read  2 Timothy 1:7 to her from my Bible.  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  She then genuinely confessed her sin to Christ and prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, asking God to do a beautiful thing in her life.  She desired not just to be involved int he ministry of her church, but also to be a warm, loving, motivated, godly woman who was freed from the fears that bound her within.

I have watched this Polly turn from a woman paralyzed by her own fears to a beautiful example of the Spirit-filled woman.  Her husband and children are pleased and proud of the new lady at their house.  It has been like watching a rosebud open into full maturity as a beautiful, sweet-smelling flower, bringing joy and leaving a fragrance with all those who come in contact with her.

The Spirit-Controlled Woman by Beverly LaHaye   Get your copy today!