"Va'yeitzei harishon admoni kulo kaderes seiar vayikru shmo eisav/And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment, and they called his name Aisav." Beraishis 25:25
Taken from Growth Through Torah By Rabbi Zelig Pliskin:
The Midrash (Beraishis Rabbah 63) relates that when Shmuel went to appoint David to be king of Israel, he saw that David was "admoni", that is, of ruddy complexion. In other words a redhead. He became very frightened and said "He too will be a murderer like Aisav." Hashem told Shmuel that there was no need to be afraid. When Aisav killed it was in cold blood, but David would only take a life to carry out the just decisions of the Sanhedrin.
We see from this Midrash that when someone has a basic personality tendency it is a reality of his nature that he will be what he truly is. But a person has free will to choose how this tendency willbe manifested. Aisav's tendency towards bloodshed led him down an evil path. David, on the other hand, was a mighty warrior who would utilize his natural tendencies for elevated purposes.
This concept is expressed very clearly by the Vilna Gaon: "A person should not go completely against his nature even if it is bad, for he will not succeed. He should merely train himself to follow the staright path in accordance with his nature. The famous example is that one who has an inclination to spill blood should train himself to be a shochet or a mohel.
May we all merit to first find our true natural tendencies and then be able to use them to follow the straight path. And in doing that may we help bring the Moshiach speedily! In our days! Amen! Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Etan
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