How Do I Serve God As An Introvert - Part II

Side note (follow up to kitchen debacle note): I made a second batch of chicken spaghetti and it went much more quickly this time. I didn’t even dump the spaghetti noodles in the sink. And that evil garlic did not defeat me (thanks to my Aunt’s salt trick)!!!! Moi ha ha ha ha!!!!! 8-)

Ahem…

Last Sunday I talked about how being an extreme introvert played out in day to day life and how it created a lot of misunderstanding. Patricia (who has a very interesting website on business coaching for introverts at http://www.patricia-weber.com/) commented that we have to figure out what are strengths are and apply them.

Hmm…that ought to be easy, right? Not necessarily. I see myself as an apprentice at so many things. But wait! I am an expert on cave-dwelling, 21st century style!

But I guess that one isn’t what we’re after. 8-)

OK.

Strengths:

Genuinely interested in people, even if it doesn’t outwardly show.

Like to spend a lot of time pondering (anything – everything).

I’m rabid about searching out details on subjects I’m deeply interested in. Can do it for hours.

Love to do things for people behind the scenes (prayer comes to mind but also other ways I can give that fly under the radar).

Love for people to learn (about God, about life lessons, about writing, etc.)

Desire for children’s spiritual development (odd since I really don’t physically spend a lot of time in the presence of children.) But I see what happens to children who are not raised in the knowledge of or with respect for God and often times their lives turn to disaster. A godless home is the greatest disaster of civilization.

A desire to encourage others (this mainly comes out in encouraging other writers).


Hmmm…. For an apprentice, that’s not a bad starting list to work with. That list comes from the heart, and as I look it over, I see it ties to a spiritual gifts inventory I did that identified prophecy and teaching as my primary gifts. But before someone gets hung up on the word “prophecy” – understand that it has two meanings. One is telling forth, like the Old Testament prophets who told the people what God instructed them to say, often including what God was going to do. But the other definition for prophecy is “telling forth” – or truth telling, speaking out the truth. The Apostle Peter is a great example of a person who boldly tells forth. It’s that telling forth aspect of prophecy I’m thinking of.

But when I think of “telling forth”, to me that’s really an aspect of teaching, no matter what the actual setting in which you do it.

Now we’re getting somewhere! And wouldn’t you know – God has been working on me since last Sunday’s post because I found out that we’re going to be starting a TeamKids program at church. I think it’s the latest version of what used to be RA’s and GA’s back in the dark ages when I taught kids at church. 8-) I just got the names of the couple who is spear-heading this effort and hope to talk to them today about exactly how TeamKids works and what is needed.

I feel a little nervous about it. Back in the dark ages when I taught kids I was practically a kid myself. Now I’m a geezer. Will I be able to identify with them? Who knows? But God promises to give us what we need to carry out His work.

But maybe this is the right way to serve for me. I will investigate. Test the waters. See what happens. And report back.

Next Sunday, I’ll swing the introvert discussion back to – you guessed it – writing. In a climate when the writer has to do virtually all the work him or herself, how does an introvert cope?

That’s what I want to explore next week.

Have a blessed day!