How Do You Relate to God?(spiritual temperaments)

Figuring out how you're wired can help you grow spiritually.

NOT LONG AGO, I broke my wrist. It was a serious break, requiring surgery. Because I needed so much help, my wife, Lisa, and I had to do almost everything together. We shopped together. We answered e-mail together (initially, I couldn't type). For a while, Lisa even helped me get dressed. (Okay, you try tying your shoe with one hand!) As a result of all this togetherness, Lisa and I discovered a deeper love that had been buried under our typical routine.

I've found we often face the same dilemma in our walk with God: We fall into a rut. Our devotions seem like nothing more than a shadow what we've done for years. We've been in the same ministry for so long, we could practically do it in our sleep. And nobody in our church small group or Bible study has had an original thought for years! Finally, one day we wake up and wonder, is this all there is to knowing God?

If you're in a spiritual malaise, you may need a change in your spiritual diet. The goal isn't "self-actualization," but to learn how to connect with God in a way that's best suited for you. Most of us naturally have a certain predisposition for the way we relate to God--a "spiritual temperament." Check out the following five to see which ones apply to you.

1. The Nature-Lover. One wintery Christmas Eve, I escaped for a walk through some woods. The woods broke into a clearing, and as I pulled my coat tighter, cold gusts of wind blew around me, then suddenly burst forth into snow. My …