On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and went to her husband, the king, who extended her permission to enter. "And Esther said, "If it please the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him." The king agreed and Haman was summoned immediately. As they drank wine at the banquet, the king asks Esther for her petition and she replies with another request for them to attend a banquet she will prepare for them tomorrow where she will make her petition known.
During the banquet, the king asks Esther a second time to make known her petition and request. She answered and said, "If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request." (summary of Esther 6:16-7:3)
You have already located the sanguine, the choleric and the phlegmatic temperament types in yourself, in your home or in your workplace. Anyone left. Perhaps they will fit into the grape melancholy type. Why grape? Characteristics of this temperament are deep and thoughtful, rich in talent and conscientious.
As we read about Esther in the above paragraph, we can see many of these traits. She did not take the task before her flippantly. Even before she was selected as queen, she spent a year preparing herself to be presented to the king. I think 30 minutes in the morning getting ready for work is long enough.
Esther was self-sacrificing with regard to her entering the king's courts without being requested by the king. She asked for her people to fast and pray for three days knowing that she could perish if the king became angry with her. She was sensitive to the king (respecting his authority).
When I think of Esther preparing a banquet for the king, she had to have been very creative, artistic and appreciative of beautiful things. Most importantly, she was very analytical in her plan to request the king to revoke the decree and give her people protection and freedom. These are all characteristics of a melancholy.
What are some other characteristics of melancholic temperaments at your workplace? Listed below are a few:
Strengths Weaknesses Scheduled-oriented Takes too long to plan Perfectionist Difficult to please Identifies problems Needs lots of approval Likes details Too high of standards Orderly/organized Likes difficult projects Persistent/thorough Not people-orientedRemember, no one fits only one temperament type. Whether you are choosing a job or doing a project, take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of your personality and those with whom you will be working. It is much easier to understand the differences before you experience the frustration. It makes going to work easier if you can implement some of the suggestions listed this week in our study.Suggestions for working with grape melancholic temperaments:
1. Prepare your case in advance. 2. Support ideas with accurate details. 3. Give exact job descriptions and precise explanations. 4. Use sequential step by step approach to a goal. 5. When agreeing, be specific. When disagreeing, disagree with facts, not with the person. 6. Be prepared to provide many explanations in a patient, persistent manner.