I was raised in circumstances that either brought out or trained me to be an extrovert and to always be around people. I even got to a point where I felt like I could never be alone. But then things happened in my life that forced me to be very, very alone. At first, and for many years, I felt like I was dying, but after a very long time, I started to feed off some of the alone time instead.
Boy, can I relate. Especially with the "
for many years, I felt like I was dying" part. Maybe, just maybe, people like you and me were dying. Dying to ourselves, by God's design, so that we might truly live solely for him.
You know, there are many clichés in Christianity like
"You need to press an olive to get out the oil," and
"You need to crush a grape to make wine," but when you are actually experiencing these things, and on a daily basis...
Not only will a lot of people shy away from you, as if you are cursed, but you will probably often wonder if something isn't terribly wrong with you yourself when, all along, God's hand has truly been in it while trying to bring us to this place of absolute surrender.
Gal 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
We all must die to ourselves so Christ alone can truly live in and through us. This is the actual call of God upon every Christian's life.
I know that this was not the intent of the thread, but this is the intent of God for each and every one of us. His grace is sufficient.