The Unashamed Introvertish Girl Blog

CONVERSATION

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At this age, it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of life. There is so much going on from graduations to relocations to new jobs to new relationships to simply navigating adulthood. With all of these equally wonderful and time-consuming activities, it’s easy to forget why we are here.

Here’s how Jesus responded to a disciple who asked Him what the greatest command is in Matthew 22:36-40:

³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

³⁷Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’^[a] ³⁸This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

So we're basically here to love God and serve Him by serving others and showing them His love.

At the end of the day, it’s great to have accomplished a lot, but nothing beats doing what God placed us here on earth to do. None of what life has to offer fills us like doing what God tells us to do fills us either. Jesus was so satisfied with obeying God that he likened serving Him to eating which fills our physical bodies. He said:

³⁴Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

Many of us cling to our worldy successes and possessions because we believe that they are what gives us life and livelihood. However, what the world has to offer is nothing compared to what God has to offer.

This is not to say that we should look at our successes and materials in a negative light from here on out, but in the right context. The context of using them to serve God and His people. For example, we can use what we learn in school to help someone younger than us who may be having a hard time academically. We can use our new homes to host events for our church or community. We can use our Godly relationship to be an example to others who hope to one day be in our shoes. Proverbs 11:25 says:

The generous soul will be made rich,

And he who waters will also be watered himself.

God blesses us to bless others. Remember the young rich ruler who was desperate to serve God. God didn’t say he was a sinner for being blessed, instead he asked him to use his blessings to uplift the kingdom of God. Here's a little bit of how that convo went in Matthew 19:21:

²¹Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

So in the process of going about life, being blessed and highly favored by a loving God, let us not forget the bigger picture, the whole reason why we’re here and for Whom we live.

I know. A lot of things are easier said than done. Let us pray, ask God to help us see our lives through His eyes, and have faith to live life the way He intended for it to be lived.

Let us stay in context.

CONVERSATION

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I have a confession to make. I don’t really officially know how to play dominoes. Whenever I had a pack, all I did was line them up and knock them down.

That’s how most people play, in the game and in real life. You’ve seen it before, one person starts yelling and arguing at another and then before you know it, they’re both yelling.

It’s like a domino effect. That same fleshly attribute that Person A has, through actions and/or agitation, attempts to influence Person B. This is not some huge, supernatural display that turns heads and shakes buildings.

This is quick, so quick that before we even notice it, we too have sinned and we have the same attitude as the person who we felt slighted us. Before we realize it, we have stepped outside of the Will of God.

Like dominoes, we have both fallen.

Some see this as natural, but it is very much spiritual. We have to remember that we have an opponent, and that he will use whatever, and whoever he can to get us to sin.

Be sober, be vigilant; because^[^a^] your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

~1 Peter 5:8

When we aren’t alert, and on our spiritual guard posts, then we are easily susceptible to his attacks. We must keep this in mind, but even more importantly, we should keep God’s Word in mind and in our hearts.

Taking in the Word of God makes us more focused on Him and filled with Him. Also, God will grant us discernment of good and evil if we simply ask Him. That way, we can easily and quickly sniff out when something comes in our presence, like a bad attitude or an unGodly option, that is not of Him.

The same thing happens with other forms of distraction. If we’re not filled, focused and aware, then we’re more susceptible to the enemy’s attacks.

The more time you spend with God, the more you will be able to discern what is and is not of Him.

May God grant us discernment on all matters.

⁹And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, ¹¹being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

~Philippians 1:9-11

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Due to my introverted nature, I never realized how hard it was to stand out from the crowd. I always just did, not flashily, but subtly. Something I recently realized on a deeper level is that standing out from the crowd, however, even for adults can be just a little bit scary.

It takes courage to be the one in a group with a different take, a different opinion or a different way of doing things. When we dare to be different, we risk being mocked, gossiped about, losing status and loosing friends.

Yet, we don’t lose anything that we don’t need. When we shrink ourselves to fit in, we relinquish all of the power embedded into our originality. We are no longer ourselves, we are a minimized version.

We are our most effective when we are true to ourselves. You may not be good at being him or her, but you are excellent at being you.

God took time out to make us uniquely. Psalm 139:14 says,

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;^[a]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.”

We have to trust God’s creative abilities and not be afraid of the backlash we may get for living for Him. When we hide who God has called us to be and the abilities He has given us, we are a minimized version of ourselves.

We may be afraid of our light shining too brightly, but that’s the way we were meant to be, so that people can know the Source of that light. Matthew 5:16 says,

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Jesus had no problem telling people that He was the Savior regardless of how many times those dang Pharisees tried to tell Him he wasn’t. If he never would have been fully who He was created to be, if He would have watered down His identity, then we would not have access to eternal life with God our Father.

In a similar manner, if we don’t let God’s light shine through us, then people won’t be able to see how powerful God is through our lives. The truth for all Christians is that being yourself is bigger than just you.

Being that our God is so intentional, there is always someone or many connected to us walking in our purpose. The same person who you’re trying to please by watering yourself down could be the same one that needs what God has uniquely placed within you to set them free.

So think about that when you think about getting lost in the crowd because of the unpredictable attention that being yourself may bring.

God has graced you with life-changing power. Whether or not you choose to use it is up to you.

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

~Romans 8:11

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