Thank you for being so patient and polite, Ben.
And thank you for not saying, "Well this is just the way it is, and you're wrong!"
One of the reasons I'm trying to be more reserved in my posts is because I've written about these things in my life several times on CC, and I get concerned about boring people.
I understand that if one is an extrovert and enjoys being around people, it might seem like an introvert is somehow handicapped at serving God and people, and this is a very valid point. As I gave in the example earlier, God recently convicted me of an incidence of being selfish and staying home rather than going out and listening to people, so as Cinder said, each state of being has its own challenges and pitfalls.
And also like Cinder, I also tend to be seen as a listener but what really happens is that I'm usually trapped by an extrovert who doesn't realize that conversations are 2-way exchanges because they only know how to talk and not listen in return. So of course, both introverts AND extroverts can be prone to selfishness and have to find a balance between giving and taking.
Please don't disregard introverts or think that they are somehow less useful to others or to God. Here are the typical things God seems to call me to do:
1. Cleaning and tasks that others don't want to do, often because they think the work is below them.
* Have you ever seen a church pew covered in ink stains? Some of us come along and try our hardest to see that they're removed.
* If you appreciate a clean toilet in the restrooms at your church (and especially in the children's church), it might be one of us introverts who scrubbed it out before your arrival.
* One of the teams I was on took turns going into the nursery and cleaning/sanitizing all the children's toys every week to lessen any chances of the kids getting sick. One of the introverted mothers was concerned about her own and others' kids health, especially during the winter months, and started this ministry on her own, while recruiting some of us to help.
2. Behind-the-scenes work -- an introvert's specialty -- things such as stuffing/preparing bulletins, typing things out, setting up stages/props, washing dishes, and all the things that are somehow "magically done" but no one thinks about how they got done or who got them done.
3. Correspondence -- I have literally written thousands (probably closer to tens of thousands) of letters over the years in all kinds of settings. It's amazing how much difference an exchanges of letters can make in a person's life... Friends, family, people from college, co-workers, and people on websites or in mission fields, but my most favorite was when I was corresponding with people in extreme situations, such as those in the military and those serving life without parole sentences in prison.
Nothing brings your faith to a new level (for me at least) than receiving a letter from someone who witnessed a shooting or stabbing and is wondering where God is in that situation.
I actually get cravings for this kind of work (it keeps my brain challenged in a way that nothing else does) but have felt God has put me "on hold" for that type of work (too dangerous for a single gal), and I miss it TERRIBLY.
So in the meantime, I try to use my love of written correspondence in any other way I can to serve God's purposes in my life.
I think that's another interesting contrast between introverts and extroverts. Extroverts are used to being out and being seen, or will see others, while doing their work for the Lord.
Introverts like myself thrive on being hidden and doing all the background work that extroverts often don't see, because they often crave the limelight. Just because you don't see an introvert next to you or out and about among the people, PLEASE don't ever automatically judge him or her as someone who is not serving the Lord.
Thank you so much for being willing to listen a bit more as to what being an introvert is like! <3
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