Extroverts gain their energy from being around people.
Introverts gain their energy from snuggling up in a blanket on the couch and finishing that book.
Extroverts like hanging out with friends.
Introverts get lost in their own thoughts.
Extroverts know how to work a crowd and are fairly adept when it comes to social situations.
Introverts think hard and think well and only answer questions when they know without a doubt they have the right answer.
Yes, I can seem flaky to some people because I get very easily distracted. Currently, I'm trying to figure out whether or not there is a link between Rachel wrestling with her sister, Leah, and prevailing and Jacob wrestling with the angel of the LORD and prevailing, and if it even matters, and how curious it is that the exact same wording is used. At other times, I'm kept up at night replaying conversations over and over, wondering whether I said something correctly or with the right emphasis, or how I was perceived by the other party, and what it would be like to switch minds with the other person for just one day to see how their brain processes work and how that would actually scare me because do I really want to know what they think of me and SQUIRREL!
When I was little, I loved getting out of the house, finding something new and exciting to do, etc. My worst fear was getting stuck at home with nothing to do but watch football on Sunday afternoons. As I've been getting older I've begun appreciating the beauty of home. I love hiding from the world and its problems, even if it's just for one day, and curling up with a good book, broken up intermittently by good strong doses of napping, and enjoying some peace and quiet.
Gah! How is it that I identify with both personality types??? Do I even fall into a "category"?
It began to drive me nuts as I seemed to be lost in the netherworld of the great in-between nebulous of the undefined personality.
After living the first 18 years of my life thinking I was nothing but an extreme extrovert with just a few introverted tendencies, over the past couple of years, it appears I've begun to hang my hat at the introverted house a bit more often than the extroverted residence.
My conclusion? I'm fearfully and wonderfully made, and I don't have to fit into a specific category. I'm allowed to love my friends dearly, make new ones, get to know their quirks, and learn what makes them tick, while at the same time being allowed to love curling up with a good book and not leave the safety of my bedroom for a day or two. Furthermore, I reserve the right to change my likes/dislikes whenever I want. ;)
Yes, I screen all my calls, no, I no longer have a fear of talking on the phone. Yes, I LOVE my friends, no, I don't feel the need to meet new people all the time. Yes, I enjoy new and exciting things, no, they don't have to give me purpose anymore.
Are there things that need tweaking in my life? Yes. Am I perfect? Far from it. It's just that I'm beginning to realize that this thing called "life" is in a constant state of flux, flitting from one thing to the next as God teaches me how to use my abilities to better bring Him the glory He deserves.
The thing is that God uses both extroverts and introverts to further His glory. Extroverts have the know-how to love people to the best of their abilities, and Introverts have the peace of mind to meditate on God's Word and Truth that it holds, thus being able to love God Himself better. Being geared more towards one personality type than the other doesn't give an excuse for us to neglect one aspect for the other, but rather shows us what we really need to be working on.
At the end of the day, it is this passage that should bring us peace:
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as of yet there was none of them.
~ Psalm 139:13-16
Introverts gain their energy from snuggling up in a blanket on the couch and finishing that book.
Extroverts like hanging out with friends.
Introverts get lost in their own thoughts.
Extroverts know how to work a crowd and are fairly adept when it comes to social situations.
Introverts think hard and think well and only answer questions when they know without a doubt they have the right answer.
Yes, I can seem flaky to some people because I get very easily distracted. Currently, I'm trying to figure out whether or not there is a link between Rachel wrestling with her sister, Leah, and prevailing and Jacob wrestling with the angel of the LORD and prevailing, and if it even matters, and how curious it is that the exact same wording is used. At other times, I'm kept up at night replaying conversations over and over, wondering whether I said something correctly or with the right emphasis, or how I was perceived by the other party, and what it would be like to switch minds with the other person for just one day to see how their brain processes work and how that would actually scare me because do I really want to know what they think of me and SQUIRREL!
When I was little, I loved getting out of the house, finding something new and exciting to do, etc. My worst fear was getting stuck at home with nothing to do but watch football on Sunday afternoons. As I've been getting older I've begun appreciating the beauty of home. I love hiding from the world and its problems, even if it's just for one day, and curling up with a good book, broken up intermittently by good strong doses of napping, and enjoying some peace and quiet.
Gah! How is it that I identify with both personality types??? Do I even fall into a "category"?
It began to drive me nuts as I seemed to be lost in the netherworld of the great in-between nebulous of the undefined personality.
After living the first 18 years of my life thinking I was nothing but an extreme extrovert with just a few introverted tendencies, over the past couple of years, it appears I've begun to hang my hat at the introverted house a bit more often than the extroverted residence.
My conclusion? I'm fearfully and wonderfully made, and I don't have to fit into a specific category. I'm allowed to love my friends dearly, make new ones, get to know their quirks, and learn what makes them tick, while at the same time being allowed to love curling up with a good book and not leave the safety of my bedroom for a day or two. Furthermore, I reserve the right to change my likes/dislikes whenever I want. ;)
Yes, I screen all my calls, no, I no longer have a fear of talking on the phone. Yes, I LOVE my friends, no, I don't feel the need to meet new people all the time. Yes, I enjoy new and exciting things, no, they don't have to give me purpose anymore.
Are there things that need tweaking in my life? Yes. Am I perfect? Far from it. It's just that I'm beginning to realize that this thing called "life" is in a constant state of flux, flitting from one thing to the next as God teaches me how to use my abilities to better bring Him the glory He deserves.
The thing is that God uses both extroverts and introverts to further His glory. Extroverts have the know-how to love people to the best of their abilities, and Introverts have the peace of mind to meditate on God's Word and Truth that it holds, thus being able to love God Himself better. Being geared more towards one personality type than the other doesn't give an excuse for us to neglect one aspect for the other, but rather shows us what we really need to be working on.
At the end of the day, it is this passage that should bring us peace:
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as of yet there was none of them.
~ Psalm 139:13-16
What a wonderful reminder! I identify with you on so many wonderings and train-of-thought-derailments...perhaps we need to start our own category of The Weirdos. Very much kidding. We're the real normal ones. ;) Thank you for that encouraging note. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, yes! Let's! :D
ReplyDelete