Hi, friends!
Hope you're doing well amidst the craziness. The good thing in having to stay at home is the extra time we creatives get to pursue our crafts. I'm so excited to be finishing up this 8-day devotional with my friend, Carol Alwood! While it will be free, I thought I'd share a few of the devos with you guys over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for the big release, complete with reflection questions, prayer guides, and more!
God created me
Psalm 139: 13-16
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (NIV)
I’ll be honest with you. I’ve kind of always hated my personality.
I’m not a talker. I can’t do chitchat well, and half the time I’m talking to a new person, I’m trying to come up with topics in my head so the conversation doesn’t die an embarrassing death. Back in middle and high school, I didn’t have a whole lot of friends. I’d be on the sidelines, listening to everyone talk, but since I was so soft-spoken, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
I hated it. I wished so badly I could have a fun personality. I wanted to be adventurous, the type of person who loves skydiving and big roller coasters. I wished I could talk as much and be as fun as the outgoing people around me.
And I’ve tried really hard to change. I’ve tried to be more adventurous, and I’ve gotten a little better at talking to new people. But my personality hasn’t changed. I still get drained when I’m around large groups, I like to be alone, I like to listen instead of talk. That’s just me.
I’ve asked God so many times why I’m like this. Why did He make me so “boring?”
But imagine if everyone in the world was outgoing and loud. Imagine if we all talked over each other and were all spontaneous, not planners. How crazy would the world be?
It took me a while to realize that being an introvert has its good qualities. For one, I’m a good listener. I can focus where an extrovert might forget and not do something. I make deep friendships because I don’t just stay on the surface level. I balance out my outgoing friends.
The truth is, God created me this way. And I’ve decided to embrace my introvert side. I’m accepting who I am, because I’m created in His image. The Bible passage says that God knit me together, and it was wonderful. God doesn’t make mistakes. He made me this way for a reason, and there is nobody else quite like me.
The same is true for you, friend. There are probably things about yourself you don’t like as much. Maybe you’re the opposite-- you’re loud and put your foot in your mouth. Maybe you hate your voice, your smile, your lack of ability in some areas. But remember, there’s a reason why God made you the way you are. He loves the you He created. And there are some things you just can’t change about yourself.
So embrace it. Become the best you you can be. Instead of hating that part of yourself, celebrate how it makes you different from others. Because none of us are quite the same.