“In quietness and in trust shall be your strength” (Is. 30:15).
I enjoy being alone. It’s true. I like to think when I am alone. I don’t enjoy parties with lots of people if I don’t know hardly anyone there. I am better at writing my thoughts than speaking them. I especially like to be in my house when there is no noise at all-no TV, no music, just quiet. (It doesn’t happen often.)
Yes, I am an introvert.
I spent many years thinking I would be a much better church leader if I were an extrovert.
However, God is in control and God created each person with unique gifts and personality to build up the body of Christ. This is the way He made me. I am not gregarious. I don’t like to be the life of the party. After I interact with a lot of people, I sometimes feel drained.
Susan Cain(an author) is a champion of introverts and maintains that many of us consider ourselves introverts. She cites business leaders and innovators who are famously introverted (Bill Gates is probably the most famous of all.) However, she also observes that society celebrates introverted behavior only in those who have become rich and famous and that we tend to ignore those who lead ordinary introverted lives. This is unfortunate.
God doesn’t care if you are introverted, extroverted, old, young, or weak. He offers us a weapon—a supernatural power, really—that enables all of us to have the power within us to build his Kingdom. Romans 8:31 (NLT) says, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
Isn’t that a comforting thought? With the Holy Spirit in us, we can be introverts who can’t stop talking—about what it means to be a Christ-follower! (Usually in a realm we are comfortable in)
God is for all of us. Introverts. Extroverts. And those who are somewhere in the middle.
Blessings,
Thora
We love your example of faithfulness & devotion. I’m sure that quietness and times of reflection deepen them. This blog will bring hope to many who may be even too introverted to ever respond to a blog. God give you all the strength you need!
Same! One moment we feel too shy to speak, but the next moment God is prompting us to do so.
Thanks for sharing Thora! I would never have guessed that we share this same personality “quirk.” I’ve seen you interact with large groups of people and you always seem so confident, self-assured and comfortable. Praise God that introverts like us can be a walking testimony of “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world!”
Thanks for the reminder that God is for us, no matter what personality type we are!
Thank you Thora and I agree with Kathy – you seem to confident when you speak to the church family when sharing the sermon with Brian. I am also an introvert and sometimes I seem stand-offish but am really a very nice person, just quiet. There have been many times when though when God has spoken through me and I was actually surprised at myself.