Hello, Seven!
I have a bias toward Enthusiasts. It’s not intentional. It’s just that many of my closest friends are Sevens.
I love that you take Jesus seriously but not yourself. I love that when you fall down a ski slope or awkwardly sing karaoke, you don’t get embarrassed—you laugh. I love that you genuinely enjoy Top 40 music. I love that we can exchange jokes that are just this side of inappropriate. Life is simply better with you around. Even when storm clouds gather, you remind the rest of us that it’s still possible to dance in the rain.
I know it can sometimes feel like an uphill battle worshiping next to Pharisee Phil on Sundays or working next to Negative Nancy on Mondays. There is no shortage of cynicism, criticism, and negativity in our world. But don’t underestimate the gift you bring. Your optimism is a form of resilience. We need people like you to help us imagine the best-case scenario, assume the best about others, and remember that joy is still possible.
But like every personality type, your greatest strengths can also become obstacles when disconnected from God’s grace. Let’s explore how the gospel both affirms and challenges the unique qualities of Type Seven.
The Gospel Affirms Enthusiasts
God sympathizes with the worldview of an Enthusiast. This negative world lacks joy in many ways and is filled with dull, serious, and rigid people. We need positive, energetic enthusiasts who will lift our spirits when we are hurting, help us see the silver lining when we are held captive by life’s circumstances, teach us how to create a fun and life-giving culture, and cast vision for us to take advantage of new opportunities rather than play it safe. Therefore, an Enthusiast will be happy to know the Bible affirms the following beliefs:
- God created us for joy and pleasure. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
- God created us to be joyful every day. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
- God created us to express our enthusiasm. “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” (Psalm 47:1)
- God created us to be satisfied. “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” (Psalm 107:9)
- God created us to be free. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
- God created us to feast. “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.” (Isaiah 25:6)
- God created us to show hospitality. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)
- God created us to spread positivity. “The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.” (Proverbs 15:30)
- God created us to dream big dreams. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)
The Gospel Challenges Enthusiasts
The gospel also provides specific challenges to Enthusiasts. Now we’ll explore the most common lies Sevens believe and see how the Bible provides much better promises and blessings. We will move deeper into each of these throughout the next 40 days.
- Lie #1: I need more to be happy. The life of an Enthusiast is marked by a longing for more. Their deadly sin, or vice, is gluttony—an insatiable appetite for all things new: ideas, sexual encounters, relationships, travel, or possessions. While these are not bad in and of themselves, they’ll never be enough. This pursuit leaves the Seven hungrier than before as they devour rather than digest God’s gifts. But Jesus said He came so “that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” When you live from Christ’s joy rather than for your joy, you cultivate the Seven’s virtue of sobriety (“less is more”), which looks like living with balance, taking only what you need right now, choosing quality over quantity, and being fully present in the moment.
- Lie #2: The future is more fulfilling. The focus for Sevens is planning for the future, spending hours daydreaming or preparing for the next big thing in their lives. They fear that if they slow down and stop running, they’ll sink into the present quicksand of boredom, sadness, discomfort, or other pains too difficult to bear. But keeping your head in the future will limit the fullness of life God wants you to experience today. The truth is our joy is not found in new plans, but in God’s presence. Joy is not an external pursuit but an internal fruit of the Holy Spirit that grows as we abide in Jesus. Therefore, you can get excited just as much about today as you can tomorrow, for “this is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
- Lie #3: The grass is greener on the other side. More than any other Enneagram type, Sevens have a fear of missing out (FOMO). This comes from one of their core fears which is deprivation, rooted in a feeling they will always be on their own, with no one to take care of them. But the healing message for Sevens comes from Jesus who said “do not be anxious about your life” because your heavenly Father takes care of your needs every day just like the birds of the air. Since God will take care of you no matter where you are, the grass is not actually greener on the other side but wherever you choose to stick around and water it. Knowing this is the path to true contentment.
- Lie #4: I need to stay positive. Sevens are a gift to the world, radiating God’s joy and enthusiasm for life. However, this role gets exaggerated when they start to believe they are more likable or lovable when they are fun and optimistic. Sevens are tempted to believe the world rewards those who are fine and upbeat, so they keep telling others “I’m okay.” This leads them to sew fig leaves that say, “Don’t worry, be happy!” to cover up any sadness, pain, or feelings of guilt and shame. But the truth is Jesus died on the cross for you—for your flawed self, not your fun, positive, crafted self. You are not worthy of love and care because you are the life of the party but because you belong to Him.
- Lie #5: It’s not okay to feel pain. Sevens avoid pain and suffering like the plague. That’s why they deploy pain-reducing strategies, such as deflecting uncomfortable questions through storytelling or humor, intellectualizing their feelings or putting them on the backburner, or reframing negatives into positives. But as C.S. Lewis reminds us, pain is not a looming threat, but God’s megaphone to wake us up. It serves as a teacher, guiding us to learn from our mistakes and discover areas of our hearts that require healing. When we take up our cross and follow our Suffering Savior courageously through the pain, rather than seeking shortcuts, we become better equipped to hold space for the grief of others and show more empathy and compassion.
- Lie #6: I need to be free to be safe. Another of the Seven’s core fears is being limited. This causes Sevens to pursue autonomy and independence, which leads to an avoidance of commitments, responsibilities, routines, rules, structures, workplace hierarchies, or anything else that feels restrictive or confining. The Seven’s defense mechanism of rationalization allows them to remove or stretch the boundary markers imposed on them by God or others and then justify (or spiritualize) their decisions as good. Though it feels counterintuitive, accepting our human and God-given limitations actually enhances pleasure rather than diminishes it. Rather than wrestling for our freedom out of fear, we can have peace of mind knowing Jesus found joy by forgoing His freedom while He was here, not by holding onto it.
As you can see, the gospel will challenge your perception of the protagonists and antagonists in your life. In the Enthusiast’s Neverland, positive-thinking is rewarded and Debbie Downers are punished. Your heroes are intriguing, interesting, adventurous, compromising, and avoid bringing up uncomfortable topics. They also never say no when you make a request or express a desire to do something. Likewise, your villains become those Pharisee-types who exhibit pessimism, demand too much, disregard the importance of fun, lack enthusiasm, discourage rule-bending, or hastily dismiss your ideas.
God’s kingdom will not be filled with those who use Christ’s freedom as an excuse for self-indulgence but by men and women who embrace the opportunity to serve others. In this place, we exchange living in extremes for balance, impulsiveness for reliability, toxic positivity for empathy, and we take the path of suffering without shortcuts. In this place, we value simplicity over excess, see pain as a teacher rather than an adversary, acknowledge mourning alongside rejoicing, and confront fears rather than avoid them. In this place, we recognize true peace and joy is not found in future plans but in the presence of God—and we put anxiety to rest.
Are you still skeptical of the Enneagram? Check out my FREE resource called “Should Christians Use The Enneagram?” where I discuss the roots and origins of the Enneagram.
Next Step: Get the 40-Day Devotional
If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read so far, there’s good news! I’ve written an entire 40-day devotional just for the Type Seven Enthusiast.
For the Enneagram Seven—the Enthusiast—it’s all about living life to the fullest. While our negative and overly serious world desperately needs your energy and optimism, sometimes your fast pace causes you to become overextended, scattered, and dismissed by others.
That’s why I wrote this 40-day devotional. I want to help you hear from God and encourage you as you make the world a more exciting place with your imagination, spontaneity, and enthusiasm.
Inside, you’ll discover how to overcome your fear of pain, enjoy pleasure without living for it, establish boundaries that lead to greater freedom, find contentment with less, and gain lasting peace in God’s presence rather than through your future plans. Be prepared to encounter the God of abundance, who doesn’t want you to miss out on the wonderful plans He has for you.
Get the “The Gospel for Enthusiasts: A 40-Day Devotional for Fun, Optimistic, Adventurers: (Enneagram Type 7)” on Amazon right now. Click here to receive a free 5-day devotional to test drive the book.
Check out this page to view the other 40-Day devotionals in this series by Tyler Zach. This will make the perfect gift for a family member or friend. You can also subscribe to the email list to get Book Launch announcements and an invite to receive Advance Reader Copies.
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