MIRIAM
Because of the lack of information about certain biblical characters, we can only make an educated guess about their personality type, but I’m pretty certain Miriam was a Connecter.
Miriam, a prophetess and Moses’ sister, was called by God to pour forth His words and act as His spokeswoman. What better job is there for a Connecter than as a spokeswoman? Miriam also seemed like a heck of a lot of fun. After God parted the Red Sea, Miriam grabbed an instrument and in her inspirational way, persuaded the women to form a dancing parade:
Then Miriam, the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. (Genesis 15:20-21)
Can you feel Miriam’s energy and her ability to infuse joy into a crowd? Her actions demonstrate spontaneity, a celebratory nature, optimism, creativity, and musicality—all strengths of a Connecter. But she also possessed the blind spots of a Connecter.
In Numbers 12:2, Miriam talked against Moses to her brother Aaron. “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He also spoken through us?”In other words, “Why is our brother getting all the attention? Aren’t we just as worthy to be heard?” Miriam felt a twinge of invisibility because she wasn’t the center of attention. Her impulsive words proved to be her undoing. God punished her rash speech by giving her leprosy. Ouch! Leprosy would have been the ultimate punishment for a Connecter like Miriam, separating her from the company of others. The isolation would likely have been more painful than the disease itself. Fortunately, Moses prayer for Miriam restored her to both health and community.
MARY MAGDALENE
Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’ closest female companions, also exhibits Connecter qualities.
Jesus healed Mary Magdalene by driving seven demons from her. From that moment on, Mary Magdalene traveled with Jesus. Connecters love the adventure of new places and new people, so this would have been right up her alley. She showed Connecter-like generosity in her financial support of Jesus (Luke 8:2-3). Not wanting to lose her connection with Him, Mary bravely witnessed His crucifixion and burial, prioritizing their close relationship over the experience of excruciating pain.
When she visited Jesus’ tomb and found it empty, Mary ran, not walked, with Connecter-like energy to Peter and cried to him with Connecter-like emotion, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Remember, Connecters tend to lose stuff and they have a secret fear about misplacing something important, so the thought of losing Jesus horrified her. Later, before Jesus ascended to heaven, Jesus talked with Mary and with Connecter-like affection, she grabbed and held on to Him for dear life.
NAOMI
Naomi, whose story is told in the book of Ruth, is likely a Connecter.
Naomi means “my joy,” “my bliss,” or “pleasantness of Jehovah.” Her very name suggests the optimism and happiness of a Connecter. Naomi’s story begins in Ruth 1 where we see she and her husband move from Judah to the foreign land of Moab. Like Mary, Naomi would have loved the novelty and adventure in that move. But in Moab, tragically, her husband and both sons die, so Naomi decides to return to her connections in Judah. I believe her widowed status and troubled life reduced her to a shadow of her former self, impacting her sunny appearance to the point that she was unrecognizable to her family and friends.
“Can this be Naomi?” they asked. “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me. Ruth 1:19-21
But God was not done with Naomi. As Herbert Lockyer states in All the Women of the Bible, “Although her character came to be purged and enhanced by her suffering, Naomi had an innate nobility that gave her personality an irresistible charm.” God did not mean for her suffering to crush her personality, but to enhance it. In the end, Naomi recognized God’s goodness as He renewed her life and sustained her in her old age. “Because of the manifold changes in her life, Naomi came to fear God in a deeper way.” One of the most beautiful things God does to a Connecter, is transform their surface-level happy into deep and abiding joy.
These women represent the best that Connecters have to offer. Qualities like inspiration, fun, and joy mixed with a love of people, communication, and connection demonstrate an aspect of God’s character that we all need to see.
For more information on a Connecter’s strengths, weaknesses, leadership style, anger trigger, and self care needs check out the Connecter ebook.
