Do You Love Being Miserable?

This is a person who self dramatizes. That’s how they make a rather dull life interesting. First they self dramatize by making themselves into someone important. The Drama Queen is always more talented than everyone else. They are more sensitive, more spiritual, more intuitive, more artistic or athletic. In their own minds they are a cut above the rest and when they are unappreciated for their genius, or when they have to mingle with hoi polloi they cast themselves as the lonely, misunderstood artiste. For them life is always extraordinary, and the most extraordinary part of it is that they are players in a huge drama.

I’m thinking Blanche Dubois from A Streetcar Named Desire. The Drama Queen is always hovering around some new disaster, some new rejection, some new misunderstanding. Life is a great tragedy in which they are the star.

You can’t help these people. They don’t want to be happy. They love being miserable.

The third type is the Loyal Sceptic. This person is the old fashioned “The glass is half empty” person. They  just naturally see what is going to go wrong, what is missing or what doesn’t work. They are waiting for disaster. They’re the typical pessimist. They’re the critic of critics. The reason they are like this is because they have an eagle eye for what might go wrong and they feel secure and happy when they are spotting the possible mishap. They’re always testing the ice. They’re always checking the weather. They want to be sure, and being critical and testing is the way they feel secure.

You can’t help these people. They don’t want to be happy. They love being miserable.

So if you’re one of the three what should you do? If you’re a Faux Martyr back off and do something for yourself instead of being such a busybody. You’re not indispensable. Chill out. You know what? God doesn’t need you to be the next Mother Teresa. Go on a retreat, spoil yourself and learn to let go and let God.

If you’re a Drama Queen come out of your costume, come down off the stage and realize that most people are not out to get you. Do stuff that’s ordinary. Bad things happen. Get used to it. It doesn’t always have to be a drama. You don’t have to be a tragedian to be worth something. God loves you just as you are. Your self dramatization doesn’t impress him and that’s okay.

If you’re a Skeptic, have more trust in God. You’ll be okay. Don’t be afraid.