Enneagram eights! You have made your presence known and we are ready for you! If you need a refresher on what this whole Enneagram thing is, check out our intro post here for more info.
If you’re lucky enough to have an 8 in your life, count your blessings because they’re a good one to have in your corner! Enneagram 8’s, also known as “The Protective Challenger,” are a rare breed, especially female 8’s. Some Enneagram experts think that while 4’s are the most rare number as a whole, female 8’s are actually the most rare gender+type combo. So cheers to all our strong, female 8 sisters!
At their best, eights are powerful, self-confident, decisive, and inspiring. Eights know what they want and they know how to get it. However, because their core fear is being weak, powerless, or controlled, eights have a habit of “snow-plowing” people who get in their path when they’re on a mission. Often that path is one of justice and leadership. Other times, when an 8 is at their worst, that path can look more like vengeance — appearing domineering, and insensitive. Because their core desire is to protect themselves, eights are always looking out for ways to avoid being betrayed. So if you have an 8 in your life who has let you into their “inner circle,” know that you are one of a very select few.
Eights may look like tough hard exteriors, but like I tell my 8-husband, “you might be prickly on the outside like a pineapple, but inside I know you’re a big softy and super sweet!” It’s my personal opinion that the aspects of Jesus that most embody the 8 typology, are some of His least understood attributes. Ones of jealousy for our hearts (Ex. 20:4-5) and righteous anger towards hardened hearts (Mark 3:5) and false teachings (Gal. 2). Christ is fiercely protective of his flock, leaving the 99 to go after the 1 who has gone astray! (Matt. 18:12-14)
Eights hear this today -- Christ paid the price for your life on the cross, he will never leave you or forsake you. In our weakness, HE is strong! Praise HIM that we are too weak to ever save ourselves because he has accomplished for us what we never could.
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