In the Spiritual Exercises there is a meditation on “three types of people.” I think we are misled, though, by Ignatius naming these people as static “types” rather than dynamic beings, types of persons who cross some line and supposedly become forever. In this life, I don’t know that any of us is ever static. We are constantly moving, either towards or away from God. Our petty wants move us away. Our focused desire to be one with God moves us towards God.
On that dynamic journey we each have times of being all three people—times we are just too busy and don’t make the time to grow in this instant; times we do and say all the right things but don’t face what is really hindering us from growing; and times of equilibrium, when we can cast off our wants, knowing true fulfillment lies beyond them.