Introverted and Extroverted He Created Them

God created mankind in his own image...Introverted and Extroverted he created them. 

OK that's not exactly what Genesis 1.27 says, but the sentiment is true nonetheless. 

Sometimes I hear the word "Introvert" used as a dirty word, a term for everything Extroverted culture doesn't understand or value. It's a prejudice that can create shame for Introverts and it fails to recognize the fullness of God's image. Introverts are not crippled Extroverts. We are an intentional part of the full breadth of God's image.

We don't dislike people. We don't avoid hard things. We don't flee from meaningful exchanges. We don't wish we were Extroverts--except maybe when we're at a party where we have to network.

We contribute stillness in a world of frenzy. We offer a listening ear when others are speaking. We engage in reflection in the face of impulsiveness. 

Being Introverted or Extroverted, technically speaking, has to do with where we draw our energy. Introverts gain energy from the inside and Extroverts gain energy from the outside. One is made to set ablaze from a spark in the quiet and the other to pour forth the power taken in from a waterfall. There are distinct differences in the way we engage with the world, build relationships, communicate, recharge, and what strengths we bring to the table. But, God can be seen in both...he is a still small voice speaking intimately to one and he is a pillar of light to a multitude. 

Sometimes we, as the Church, label personality traits as Christian character. Being joyful must mean being a bubbly, smiley person, right? Sharing the Gospel looks like engaging as many people in a day as possible, right? Living in Christian fellowship means being talkative and always engaging others, right? Worshiping God looks like demonstrative passion, right?

Yes! And...joy looks like a determined smile, evangelism is a slow build through relationship, fellowship is a deep one-on-one conversation, worship is being awed into silence before God Almighty.

Introverts and Extroverts will serve differently. We will fellowship differently. We will engage in spiritual growth differently. Yet it is these differences that will carry out the Great Commission with depth and breadth.

It is only together that we can more fully reflect God's image. What beautiful things we can learn from one another, what fantastic gifts we can give to one another, and what a full mission we can accomplish if given the freedom to celebrate the uniqueness we bring to the table in the context of One Body. 

My Favorite Place

There's just something about the ocean. It's the way the sky reaches down into the water, the horizon an infinity of blue and the sun winking back at itself a thousand times.

The waves whisper of a power held back and I marvel that this rippling expanse is but a rain drop in God's hand.

The salt of the ocean visits with each breath of wind, blowing back the intensity of the sun's touch.

It is my favorite place.

The feel of it. The view of it. The sound of it.

Palm fronds dance overhead to their own musical rattling and it makes me smile.

I feel perfectly empty and full, taking in the way God seems to say something in each little detail.

God is Not Overwhelmed

There was a moment last month when I was feeling stretched beyond what was comfortable; I was squeezing out a "Yes" to the Lord when everything inside me was saturated with fear and self-interest. I text a friend about how overwhelming it all felt, as we waited for the response to our "Yes."

Embedded in her reply I read the words "God is not overwhelmed." 

The squirming panic inside me took notice of those words. Their truth washed over me and calmed me. Suddenly this difficult, overwhelming thing had a champion whose hands hold the universe and whose might and wisdom never fail. This situation didn't take him by surprise. He saw the path before us and went even before our "Yes" to make a way. Slowly I let in the courage to lay down more of myself and trust him to walk beside me. 

Then, even more quickly than the situation had surfaced, it disappeared, but the "Yes" has remained. God used it to push back the encroaching tide of self-interest and leave space for new opportunities to trust him.

Since that day the words "God is not overwhelmed" have resurfaced again and again in my mind. The last few years the Lord has given me phrases and verses to focus my year around (2016, 2017), so this year I am claiming the truth and the promise of "God is not overwhelmed" along with Isaiah 40.28, which says, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? the Lord is an eternal God, the creator of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary. There is no limit to His wisdom."

Admittedly it doesn't take a giant, life-altering situation to plunge me into the deep waters of life, overwhelming me with how impossible it feels to keep my head above water. More often than not, the day-to-day can feel more overwhelming than the occasional monumental issues. And the fact is, that it actually is impossible, save for the rescuing hand of Jesus, who never succumbs to the waves, whose feet can walk on the surface of the deep, whose hands created and hold it all. 

Today God is not overwhelmed. Tomorrow's troubles won't leave him tired and weary. Even the rest of the days of the year can't find the end of his wisdom.