I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (Philippians 4:12).

Years ago, I took a Christian pop psychology test to discover whether I had the personality of

Sanguine PETER,

Melancholy MOSES,

Phlegmatic ABRAHAM, 

or Choleric PAUL.

After answering 40 probing questions, this was the verdict:

Like Choleric PAUL, you are goal-oriented, assertive, and driven. A natural leader who is decisive, energetic, and organized. 

Well, maybe not so organized.

At that point in my life, I totally related to zealous-new-believer Paul, as I was a passionate newbie myself. But today, reading Philippians 4, I feel as far from the apostle as the moon. When he references his secret of contentment, it’s hard to relate to such astounding equanimity! Yet, at this point in my life something inside me longs to experience serenity beyond circumstance. 

Perhaps you feel that way, too.

I went online to find the old temperament test (everything’s online!) and noticed a caveat (in all caps!) that caught my attention: 

BE RAW ABOUT WHO YOU ARE RIGHT NOW, AT THIS POINT IN YOUR LIFE

It made me wonder how Choleric PAUL changed over time from attitudes and behaviors he exhibited at earlier points in his life. 

—Like when he approved of the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7). 

—When he breathed out “murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” (Acts 9).

—Or in his contentious confrontation with Peter at Antioch (Galatians 2).

So I compared Galatians, his earliest epistle, to his later correspondence with the Philippians. Of course, each letter addresses a different audience and a unique situation, but I wondered how “temperament” might be “tempered” by the Holy Spirit and what clues might help explain the evolving contentment of Choleric PAUL. 

In Galatians, the apostle sounds very much like pre-Jesus Saul. His theology may be impeccable, but there’s a hard, confrontational edge to his admonitions. Addressing the very people who would have “torn out [their] eyes and given them to me” (4:15), he laments, “I fear…that I have wasted my efforts on you” (4:11). 

YIKES!

By the time Paul writes to the Philippians, he’s been on three missionary journeys, had several very public clashes with co-workers, planted churches, was tossed out of synagogues, chased out of cities, flogged, imprisoned, and shipwrecked (three times). 

Through it all, the Spirit of the Lord has been with him, guiding and sustaining Paul through incarceration and rough waters. And for much of that time, there’s been another constant in his life—the strong supportive presence of the believers in Philippi for whom Paul always thanks God. Through their generous friendship and reliable partnership, worship has multiplied—teaching Choleric PAUL what he calls the secret of contentment. 

In the years between Galatians and Philippians, the apostle goes from contentious zealot to contented elder, less invested in outcomes beyond his control, less disappointed when people don’t meet his expectations, buoyed by the love and support of trusted friends, and tempered by years of God’s sustaining faithfulness.

Abba, in this Lenten season—at this point in our lives—I pray that, whatever our circumstances, we can be awake to the Holy Spirit teaching us the secret of contentment.