Introversion

All my life, I've been an introvert trying to live as an introvert. It seems that the message I kept hearing from people, be it in school or church or the work place, was that the way to succeed in life was to be extroverted. Everyone loves a charismatic personality, right?

But when you are an introvert trying to act like an extrovert, it tends to come out all wrong. Then you feel miserable and try to compensate, but everything just seems to make a situation worse. Then you withdraw because of the stress of it all, and then people see you as being mad at them when in truth, you are freaked out at the idea of making things worse and are afraid.

Yet God created introverts. People to be creative thinkers, who thrive in solitude and value deep conversations with one person rather than mingling with a larger crowd. Crowds stress me out. I will avoid concerts or sports events because I don't want to be in a crowd. I prefer to go to the movie theater at a time when I think it will be less crowded.

Only recently did I have someone point out to me that I was an introvert and that person told me it was okay to be that way. Slowly I am accepting that and trying to understand my place in the word as an introverted child of God.

It's rather cool how God makes people so different from one another, and yet how He can bring us together with all of our strengths and weaknesses in a rather odd blend of gifts and talents to create something beautifully messy that glorifies Him.