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Enneagram Daily Reflections #1
Forty Days on Being a One
"I am a number One on the Enneagram." Juanita Rasmus continues: "If you are a One, you know the weight of the world we carry. If you know a One, these readings will give you enhanced insight into our world. Either way, bring your work boots―you will need them!" Guided by her own life, including experiences with exhaustion and depression, Juanita Rasmus draws from the deep wells of counseling and spirituality to illuminate the journey of a One. She shares the resources that have guided her to greater spiritual and emotional health. Each of these forty daily reading concludes with a journaling prompt, self-affirmation, or spiritual practice. Any of us can find aspects of ourselves in any of the numbers. The Enneagram is a profound tool for empathy, so whether or not you are a One, you will grow from your reading about Ones and enhance your relationships across the Enneagram spectrum.
- GenresNonfictionFaithSelf Help
128 pages, Hardcover
Published May 4, 2021
31 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 4, 2021
This book shares brief reflections about how Christians who type as Ones in the Enneagram personality system can move towards a state of emotional and spiritual health in their everyday lives. The daily readings are typically two or three pages long, and are quick perspectives based on the author's experiences, ending with reflection questions or personal practices that readers can consider. Instead of being a collection of essays from different Enneagram Ones, this is all written by a single author, Juanita Campbell Rasmus. She draws on her personal background as an African American pastor, and writes about how she discovered her Enneagram type after a period of overwork and personal exhaustion that pushed her to a breaking point.
Personal Evaluation
I am also a One, and I looked forward to this book's release, expecting that I would connect with it and find it helpful. Unfortunately, I ended up being disappointed with the content and with aspects of the author's teaching. On a personal level, I didn't relate to the author's life experiences, because even though we have some similar personality elements, the majority of her writing focused on her personal breakdown and experience recovering from a workaholic lifestyle.
I didn't connect with this aspect of the author's experience at all, and because it was central to the book, she didn't touch on as many different things that other Ones would relate to. She also referred to her struggles to experience joy as if they were a universal element of this personality type, when it appears that this was primarily an aspect of her family upbringing. It's important to her life story, but I think that she over-attributed this to other Ones.
Theological Problems
More importantly, I have significant issues with the author's theology. While writing about God's love for us, she says, "I found the God who knows no condemnation and has no capacity for it." This is completely inconsistent with what the Bible teaches about God and goes against the entire gospel story, in which Jesus came to take our sin and condemnation so that we could be forgiven. She provides no support for her claim or others like it, and even though I understand that she is trying to recover from a punitive view of God, her assertion is not biblical or helpful.
The Bible clearly teaches that people who do not repent of their sins and follow Christ will face judgment, and in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said about self-righteous religious people, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" That is incredibly heavy, and gives people lots to process, but it shows that righteous judgment is part of who God is, along with His mercy and compassion.
Ultimately, what has given me peace in my very Enneagram One struggles with perfectionism and self-judgment is the gospel, in which "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). In this shift from judgment to belonging, God takes my sin seriously, but has provided a solution where I am free from condemnation forever. This gives me hope, and has changed my life, while saying that God has no capacity for judgment distorts His character in a way that is only as therapeutic as it is untruthful. I find it alarming and frustrating that Rasmus dismissed a part of God's character in order to make her point.
The same day's reflection prompt invites people to fill in their own name instead of Jesus's while reading Matthew 3:13-17. This passage tells the story of Jesus receiving baptism from John. When Jesus rose from the water, the Spirit of God descended on him like a dove and a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased." With all of the passages in Scripture that express God's love specifically for us, why would Rasmus hijack the sacred moment that began and confirmed Jesus's earthly ministry? It means something in context which does not apply to every Christian, and there was no way that I was going to insert my name repeatedly into a quoted Scripture passage where John the Baptist says, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" He was not making that claim about me!
Audience Considerations
I am comfortable with reading books from a variety of perspectives, and there are lots of theological areas where I can agree to disagree, but this book distorts the gospel in such a way that I cannot recommend it, and I also found it extremely discouraging and frustrating on a personal level. I really wanted to connect with this book and gain deeper insights into my life, but instead, I'm just reminded how much my spiritual peace as an Enneagram One depends on a right understanding of sin and redemption, where I don't have to ignore my condemnation-worthy acts, or pretend that they don't matter to God, to know that I am deeply accepted and loved in Christ.
There are lots of daily readings in this book that are perfectly fine and good, and people can definitely benefit from the author's personal illustrations and insights, but even though some Christians will enjoy this and find it beneficial, this is not something that I can recommend. Also, even though secular readers and people from different faiths wouldn't have my same objections to this book, it has so many Christian elements that readers from other backgrounds would probably not connect with much of the material.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Personal Evaluation
I am also a One, and I looked forward to this book's release, expecting that I would connect with it and find it helpful. Unfortunately, I ended up being disappointed with the content and with aspects of the author's teaching. On a personal level, I didn't relate to the author's life experiences, because even though we have some similar personality elements, the majority of her writing focused on her personal breakdown and experience recovering from a workaholic lifestyle.
I didn't connect with this aspect of the author's experience at all, and because it was central to the book, she didn't touch on as many different things that other Ones would relate to. She also referred to her struggles to experience joy as if they were a universal element of this personality type, when it appears that this was primarily an aspect of her family upbringing. It's important to her life story, but I think that she over-attributed this to other Ones.
Theological Problems
More importantly, I have significant issues with the author's theology. While writing about God's love for us, she says, "I found the God who knows no condemnation and has no capacity for it." This is completely inconsistent with what the Bible teaches about God and goes against the entire gospel story, in which Jesus came to take our sin and condemnation so that we could be forgiven. She provides no support for her claim or others like it, and even though I understand that she is trying to recover from a punitive view of God, her assertion is not biblical or helpful.
The Bible clearly teaches that people who do not repent of their sins and follow Christ will face judgment, and in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said about self-righteous religious people, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" That is incredibly heavy, and gives people lots to process, but it shows that righteous judgment is part of who God is, along with His mercy and compassion.
Ultimately, what has given me peace in my very Enneagram One struggles with perfectionism and self-judgment is the gospel, in which "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). In this shift from judgment to belonging, God takes my sin seriously, but has provided a solution where I am free from condemnation forever. This gives me hope, and has changed my life, while saying that God has no capacity for judgment distorts His character in a way that is only as therapeutic as it is untruthful. I find it alarming and frustrating that Rasmus dismissed a part of God's character in order to make her point.
The same day's reflection prompt invites people to fill in their own name instead of Jesus's while reading Matthew 3:13-17. This passage tells the story of Jesus receiving baptism from John. When Jesus rose from the water, the Spirit of God descended on him like a dove and a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased." With all of the passages in Scripture that express God's love specifically for us, why would Rasmus hijack the sacred moment that began and confirmed Jesus's earthly ministry? It means something in context which does not apply to every Christian, and there was no way that I was going to insert my name repeatedly into a quoted Scripture passage where John the Baptist says, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" He was not making that claim about me!
Audience Considerations
I am comfortable with reading books from a variety of perspectives, and there are lots of theological areas where I can agree to disagree, but this book distorts the gospel in such a way that I cannot recommend it, and I also found it extremely discouraging and frustrating on a personal level. I really wanted to connect with this book and gain deeper insights into my life, but instead, I'm just reminded how much my spiritual peace as an Enneagram One depends on a right understanding of sin and redemption, where I don't have to ignore my condemnation-worthy acts, or pretend that they don't matter to God, to know that I am deeply accepted and loved in Christ.
There are lots of daily readings in this book that are perfectly fine and good, and people can definitely benefit from the author's personal illustrations and insights, but even though some Christians will enjoy this and find it beneficial, this is not something that I can recommend. Also, even though secular readers and people from different faiths wouldn't have my same objections to this book, it has so many Christian elements that readers from other backgrounds would probably not connect with much of the material.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2021
It was great to spend a few moments each morning reading reflections that are written for many of my specific characteristics-strengths and weaknesses. I was challenged and encouraged to continue to grow into who God is making me to be.
February 23, 2025
This book has been joyfully, challenging, and life-giving. I started it in January and read a short chapter most mornings. I made a list of key takeaways that I try to consult each weekend, and I can say that I have learned so much about myself and I am growing! The Enneagram is incredible, and I’m going to continue to lean into it ❤️.
August 18, 2021
I can resonate with this woman as a fellow one, wife, mom and minister of the gospel. Her story was full of wisdom and grace, warning and encouragement. Great read to start each day.
December 24, 2021
I really enjoyed these short devotionals geared toward 1s.
December 31, 2021
If you know the enneagram well, you will be disappointed. This is a lovely devotional, but I didn’t even feel like the author knew the enneagram past the basics.
September 17, 2021
I thought I was going to be able to keep up with the 40-day challenge of FORTY DAYS ON BEING A ONE; I really did. I was gung-ho for the start date of May 10. Turns out that for me, what should have been a 40-day journey actually lasted 127 days. 🤷🏼♂️ But hey, I guess they never said that it was forty CONSECUTIVE days on being a One, did they? (The other types probably don’t even care, do they? 🤪)
.
This is one volume of IV Press’s series of reflections for people who belong to each of the numbered classifications on the Enneagram. The releases were staggered, but I believe that they are all now out and available for purchase. From what I’ve heard, the other volumes are also great! Pro-tip, though - if you search for “Enneagram Daily Reflections,” or go to enneagramtoday.com/dailyreflections, you can sign up for the “40-Day Email Journey.” The emails themselves weren’t that mindblowing, BUT your first email that you’ll receive a few days after signing up will contain a PDF of the daily journal prompts from the book. If you download that, and then go to print it and choose “Booklet” as a setting, you can use a long-reach stapler to create a journal for yourself where you actually have room to write out responses to the daily reflections! (Yes… that’s my One-ness showing itself. Order and efficiency 🙌🏼)
.
I loved reading Juanita Campbell Rasmus’s descriptions of the various aspects that go into our compositions as Ones. I certainly ascribe to that notion of “I will play when all the work is done”... but, unfortunately, for Ones the work is NEVER done. Maybe it would have felt different if I had read the entries forty days in a row, but sometimes they felt a little repetitive (there’s a story that gets used at least twice) and I also would have liked to see more scripture more frequently, especially from a title from InterVarsity Press.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
THE PROS: Juanita tells amazing stories and has such entrancing word choice, whether telling the heartbreaking story of a bird whose striving led to its end, or describing all that can exist in a single cup of tea. I can also relate to “the dark night of the soul” that she describes having experienced a few years ago since I had one of my own (yep - lived in that “4 in stress” headspace for a good 4 months in 2016-2017) and I like to think that her reflections validated some of the growth that I’ve seen in myself too. She also excels at helping us Ones see where our tendencies towards perfection, order, and reform are healthy... and where they can be destructive. I would love to have her as a trusted friend - and sometimes I pretend that she already is when she shows up on my feed and reminds me to breathe. 😌 The book itself is also the perfect size to carry around with my Bible, journal, and other daily devotional. I also love the way that the artwork and overall design, sleek and elegant, can help us reclaim our love of black-and-white thinking, order, and straight lines.
.
THE CONS: Was it really fair for this book to be written by someone who works from home? I remember one particular entry where Juanita recalled being given “a day off” by her husband Rudy, who brought her breakfast in bed and told her just to enjoy the morning. We don’t all have that luxury, and I remember having a hard time embracing that day’s reflection because I think it fell on a school day. Which also brings me to another point: Again, was it really fair for this book to be written by someone who has a spouse as great as Rudy in her life? Another place where we can’t all relate. Rudy sounds like the MVP, but many of us don’t have someone who lives with us and has committed to us who will be understanding, compassionate, patient, and know us super well to get us out of our heads and remind us that IT WILL BE OKAY to take a break and chill a little. #WeAllNeedaRudy
.
I would love to hear if others have checked these out for your number, and what you think!
.
#enneagram1 #40days #enneagramdailyreflections #companionjournal #breathe #play #be #ZackReads2021 #book17of30
.
This is one volume of IV Press’s series of reflections for people who belong to each of the numbered classifications on the Enneagram. The releases were staggered, but I believe that they are all now out and available for purchase. From what I’ve heard, the other volumes are also great! Pro-tip, though - if you search for “Enneagram Daily Reflections,” or go to enneagramtoday.com/dailyreflections, you can sign up for the “40-Day Email Journey.” The emails themselves weren’t that mindblowing, BUT your first email that you’ll receive a few days after signing up will contain a PDF of the daily journal prompts from the book. If you download that, and then go to print it and choose “Booklet” as a setting, you can use a long-reach stapler to create a journal for yourself where you actually have room to write out responses to the daily reflections! (Yes… that’s my One-ness showing itself. Order and efficiency 🙌🏼)
.
I loved reading Juanita Campbell Rasmus’s descriptions of the various aspects that go into our compositions as Ones. I certainly ascribe to that notion of “I will play when all the work is done”... but, unfortunately, for Ones the work is NEVER done. Maybe it would have felt different if I had read the entries forty days in a row, but sometimes they felt a little repetitive (there’s a story that gets used at least twice) and I also would have liked to see more scripture more frequently, especially from a title from InterVarsity Press.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
THE PROS: Juanita tells amazing stories and has such entrancing word choice, whether telling the heartbreaking story of a bird whose striving led to its end, or describing all that can exist in a single cup of tea. I can also relate to “the dark night of the soul” that she describes having experienced a few years ago since I had one of my own (yep - lived in that “4 in stress” headspace for a good 4 months in 2016-2017) and I like to think that her reflections validated some of the growth that I’ve seen in myself too. She also excels at helping us Ones see where our tendencies towards perfection, order, and reform are healthy... and where they can be destructive. I would love to have her as a trusted friend - and sometimes I pretend that she already is when she shows up on my feed and reminds me to breathe. 😌 The book itself is also the perfect size to carry around with my Bible, journal, and other daily devotional. I also love the way that the artwork and overall design, sleek and elegant, can help us reclaim our love of black-and-white thinking, order, and straight lines.
.
THE CONS: Was it really fair for this book to be written by someone who works from home? I remember one particular entry where Juanita recalled being given “a day off” by her husband Rudy, who brought her breakfast in bed and told her just to enjoy the morning. We don’t all have that luxury, and I remember having a hard time embracing that day’s reflection because I think it fell on a school day. Which also brings me to another point: Again, was it really fair for this book to be written by someone who has a spouse as great as Rudy in her life? Another place where we can’t all relate. Rudy sounds like the MVP, but many of us don’t have someone who lives with us and has committed to us who will be understanding, compassionate, patient, and know us super well to get us out of our heads and remind us that IT WILL BE OKAY to take a break and chill a little. #WeAllNeedaRudy
.
I would love to hear if others have checked these out for your number, and what you think!
.
#enneagram1 #40days #enneagramdailyreflections #companionjournal #breathe #play #be #ZackReads2021 #book17of30
February 23, 2024
I have a dear friend who shares my delight in the Enneagram, and this is the second devotional she has given me specific to my type. Maybe this book was disadvantaged by the comparison to last year’s gift (from Elisabeth Bennett’s series).
In some ways, Rasmus’s reflections really resonated with me - after all, my resolution for this year is to pursue joy and fun…something I really struggle with and something she emphasizes throughout.
As much as I identified with some passages and themes, though, I really wished the book as a whole had been a little more clearly organized/focused. That was something I really loved about Bennett’s book: she had divided it into logical sections, and there was a very clear progression of ideas. This was a little more free form.
Still, it was a good way to open the year and to reinforce that theme of joy and fun to myself in the midst of my utter One-ness.
In some ways, Rasmus’s reflections really resonated with me - after all, my resolution for this year is to pursue joy and fun…something I really struggle with and something she emphasizes throughout.
As much as I identified with some passages and themes, though, I really wished the book as a whole had been a little more clearly organized/focused. That was something I really loved about Bennett’s book: she had divided it into logical sections, and there was a very clear progression of ideas. This was a little more free form.
Still, it was a good way to open the year and to reinforce that theme of joy and fun to myself in the midst of my utter One-ness.
March 3, 2022
I gave this a 4 because some of the pearls of wisdom shared were very life giving for me. I think this book is better suited for ones who are tired and need the encouragement to move toward greater peace and joy in life. I preferred days that were more tightly woven and focused. Otherwise some of the others days seem to run through a few thoughts and since the reflections are short it seemed bouncy. Overall I appreciated what was offered and found some of the reflections and lessons from her life personally enriching.
February 20, 2022
I was skeptical that these daily readings from the perspective of an enneagram 1 would be helpful, but having someone challenge the core issues of what 1s struggle with was pretty incredible. It was also wonderful to recognize the struggles I have are shared by others, and to see there is hope to live differently. We can be aware of our bent to work too hard, be overly responsible and self-critical and to push back against those tendencies in healthy ways.
March 21, 2022
I liked the author's book Learning to Be: Finding Your Center After the Bottom Falls Out so was looking forward to this devotional. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to have a deep knowledge of the enneagram.
July 27, 2024
As a child I played the lead role as the adult in the scenario. I was obsessed with being in charge and in control. Play for me was about imitating what I thought it meant to be an adult. Freedom
Ones typically prioritize work before pleasure, and thus miss out on the beauty of a myriad of opportunities for re-creation and recreation.
Calling our own timeouts- time for fun, time for wonder, time for rest, for recreation, for hobbies, or for something of interest like the book on my bed.
We are the only authority over our thinking, actions, feeling choices, and quality of living.
allow God to heal in me what needs healing, what needs a new perspective, and what needs a new perspective, and what needs total restoration in my soul.
view of God, remove VS include
thank toy for your rules & guidance -view of? version of?
How often have I missed out on God's gifts because I overrode that still, small voice inviting me to do the fun thing, the pleasurable thing, the thing that would allow me to see the wonder of a God who provides?
Ones typically prioritize work before pleasure, and thus miss out on the beauty of a myriad of opportunities for re-creation and recreation.
Calling our own timeouts- time for fun, time for wonder, time for rest, for recreation, for hobbies, or for something of interest like the book on my bed.
We are the only authority over our thinking, actions, feeling choices, and quality of living.
allow God to heal in me what needs healing, what needs a new perspective, and what needs a new perspective, and what needs total restoration in my soul.
view of God, remove VS include
thank toy for your rules & guidance -view of? version of?
How often have I missed out on God's gifts because I overrode that still, small voice inviting me to do the fun thing, the pleasurable thing, the thing that would allow me to see the wonder of a God who provides?
November 9, 2021
Thank you, Juanita! I feel seen, understood, known, & not alone. I love from Day 40, Transformation: “…I held life so close to the vest that I suffocated joy.” I enjoy reading this over again daily as part of my morning quiet centering time to prepare me for my day.
November 17, 2021
This book was not as I expected it would be, I was hoping to gather more insight into the Enneagram One and I don’t feel like this book has done that. There is a lot of talk of religion, which I can appreciate, but it wasn’t what I was looking for.
April 5, 2022
My Enneagram Type is a Five, and I read this because I’m married to a One. I liked the book as my own devotional, and I think my positive impression was also formed by hearing the author speak a few years ago. Great series here, edited by Suzanne Stabile.
April 29, 2022
If you don’t know about Enneagram, start with one of Suzanne Stabile’s books to find your number. There are 9 books in this devotional series, one for each number. I’m a 1 so this book was helpful in pointing out ways that I can take myself less seriously and allow myself to experience joy.
June 25, 2021
Some good insights, especially in the journal promptings at the end, but it got a little repetitive in the last 10 days or so.
August 31, 2021
I enjoyed the daily reflections but admittedly didn’t do many of the practices. I will definitely keep this book around to re-read and savor the journal prompts.
Read
November 30, 2021Helpful. I recognized myself in these pages.
August 28, 2024
A forty-day Christian devotional for enneagram ones by an enneagram one. I like the idea but I did not get as much out of the book as I hoped to. Will continue with the series anyway.
October 7, 2021
The Enneagram has taught us how each of us views the world and our experiences through a unique set of glasses, and this 9-book series of devotionals allows readers to slip on a new pair of glasses for forty days of inspiration, encouragement, and insight. Rather than taking the opportunity to spend forty days viewing life from an alternative pair of eyes, I chose to spend time with my own type in this book written by a fellow Type One.
As a One, pastor and spiritual director Juanita Campbell Rasmus has spent a lifetime wrestling with perfectionism, criticism (of herself and others), self-righteousness, and striving. As she has grown in spiritual and emotional health, she has uncovered gifts of grace, joy, gratitude, compassion, and freedom. Through stories from her life, accompanied by journaling prompts and suggested spiritual practices, Rasmus leads Ones in utilizing the Enneagram to find wholeness for ourself, and she offers anyone who loves or wants to understand the Ones in their life a window into the mindset and emotions of life from a One’s World.
While I don’t align with all of the theological points Rasmus makes here, I very much related to her personality, experiences, and struggles; not all Ones are alike so I was unsure if this would be the case, but I felt as though every lesson she has learned along her journey is one I too have learned or am in the process of learning. I think I might have liked this more if it were written by a group of One authors each providing a reflection or two, rather than forty devotionals written by the same author; still, this was a deeply relevant and helpful devotional for me.
My Rating: 4 Stars.
As a One, pastor and spiritual director Juanita Campbell Rasmus has spent a lifetime wrestling with perfectionism, criticism (of herself and others), self-righteousness, and striving. As she has grown in spiritual and emotional health, she has uncovered gifts of grace, joy, gratitude, compassion, and freedom. Through stories from her life, accompanied by journaling prompts and suggested spiritual practices, Rasmus leads Ones in utilizing the Enneagram to find wholeness for ourself, and she offers anyone who loves or wants to understand the Ones in their life a window into the mindset and emotions of life from a One’s World.
While I don’t align with all of the theological points Rasmus makes here, I very much related to her personality, experiences, and struggles; not all Ones are alike so I was unsure if this would be the case, but I felt as though every lesson she has learned along her journey is one I too have learned or am in the process of learning. I think I might have liked this more if it were written by a group of One authors each providing a reflection or two, rather than forty devotionals written by the same author; still, this was a deeply relevant and helpful devotional for me.
My Rating: 4 Stars.
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