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Emboldened to Do Courageous Things as an Enneagram Six

Emboldened to Do Courageous Things as an Enneagram Six

Tara Beth Leach, pastor and Enneagram Six, shares how the Holy Spirit propels her into courage when skepticism and fear hold her back.

Throughout my life, there have been several different tools—or what my tradition calls a means of grace—that have helped me dive into the depths of God’s redemptive and transformative love. Some of these tools have included therapy, support from friends, spiritual practices such as prayer and reflection, and the Enneagram.

Some of my greatest role models throughout my life have always stood out to me because of their courage. These were people who took risks—they risked their futures, sometimes their lives, and sometimes their careers. I have always been enamored by courageous stories. So when I discovered I was an Enneagram Six and I learned that we most known for “fear,” I was defensive. I wanted to be known for courage, bravery, fortitude, and tenacity. So when I began using the Enneagram as a tool to experience the redemptive depths of God’s transforming grace, I was at first a little skeptical.

Skeptical. Ah, of course I’d be skeptical. . . turns out we Sixes are known for that one, too.

But then, I discovered that I could, after all, be courageous. While my thoughts are consumed with worst-case-scenario-situations more than the average person, and while I’m almost always skeptical and defensive of authority until I am loyal, and while doubt is woven in and out of my life, by the grace of God, I’ve had a greater vision of what a redeemed Six can be.

Almost daily, the emboldening power of the Spirit meets me at the bottom of my fears and propels me to do courageous things that I never would have otherwise done. Almost daily, the comforting power of the Spirit propels me to step outside of my safe caves and experience a life of unwavering freedom. Almost daily, the wise power of the Spirit gives me the gift of discernment to read the room and people around me. Almost daily, the empowering presence of the Spirit impels me to do difficult things—things that would have seemed impossible years ago.

I’m a Six, and I’m not marked by fear. Instead, I am beloved and I am redeemed.

About the Author

Tara Beth Leach

Tara Beth Leach is a pastor at Christ Church of Oak Brook in the western suburbs of Chicago. She previously served as senior pastor of First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena (“PazNaz”) in Southern California and has pastored in Illinois and New York. She is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University and Northern Theological Seminary. She is the author of Emboldened, Radiant Church, and Forty Days on Being a Six.

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