introEXTRO

As a proud ISTJ, expressing emotion is not my strong point. Okay, it's actually my greatest weakness. It's very uncomfortable for me to be verbally or physically expressive. I would much rather show you how much I appreciate you through quality time or acts or service. Sometimes just the act of being around people is hard.

Preparing to leave for a year has forced me to exhaust the little extroverted capacity I possess. I have jokingly referred to the weeks until my departure as my Farewell Tour, because of all the people I want to see, places I want to go, things I want to do before I leave. I find myself spending each day in a flurry of human interaction. This means I have spent a lot of my time being "on".

For an introvert, being "on" does not mean you are being fake, it just simply means you are interacting at the same social level of an extrovert, even though it's much harder and more draining for you to do.

For example, if while at a party an introvert and an extrovert do exactly the same things and talk to the same people for the same amount of time, the extrovert will leave feeling excited and on a "party high", whereas the introvert will leave feeling worn out, wanting to speak to no one for an undetermined amount of time.

This has been my life.

I absolutely LOVE my job. I love being around students, talking to them, spending time with them, laughing/crying/giggling with them, etc. However, there are parts of my job that require me to be "on". Wednesday nights, Sunday mornings, events, Bible studies, coffee meetings: all things that require an acceptable level of extrovertedness. It would not be very welcoming to visitors if I did not speak to them simply because that is outside of my comfort zone. I would not be a very fun leader if I sat in a quiet room during a lock-in because I was feeling overstimulated. For such instances, I pull out the "people person" part of my personality, and strive to interact and serve in a way glorifying to the Lord.

HOWEVER, when the socialization is done, so am I. When I get home, I do not wish to have deep, long conversations with my family, I do not jump at the chance to hangout with friends, and I do not want to be in a large group of people. I want to sit in my comfort zone, in the quiet room, and recharge. I want to plug my brain back in to the power source of quietness and rest.

I believe the Lord is a mixture of extrovert and introvert. He is always passionately pursuing His people and engaging them in amazing ways. However, He is also calm and secure...I mean, He did rest after CREATING THE WORLD (hello Genesis 1).

Extroverts, you are AWESOME. Most days I want to be you. You have the amazing capability of being energized and outgoing and welcoming and you love every single second of it. Use your natural openness to engage non-believers. Strike up conversations and be bold about your faith. But don't forget that the Lord wants you to rest in Him, not just do things for Him. Take time to quiet your heart and be still before Him.

Introverts, you are AWESOME. I am one of you. You are introspective and observant about the world around you. You have the ability to analyze people and their surroundings in a deep, imaginative way. Use your thoughtfulness to build solid friendships. Go deep in the Gospel and recharge yourself by spending time of solitude in the Word. However, don't close yourself off from the world. The Lord desires for you to reach out to His people and know them intimately. Stretch yourself by consistently putting yourself outside of your comfort zone for the sake of the Gospel.

No matter your personality type, God has created you for a specific, unique, only-you-can-do-it purpose. Don't let your fear hold you back, instead use your weakness to show His strength.