I fight daily against the tendency to stay at home and speak to no one. Some days I don't win that battle. Oh, I'll talk. My people at home don't allow me to be silent. Beyond answering questions, teaching, and settling arguments, there isn't a whole lot of conversing being done.
But, I've come to realize that the days I spend out of my comfort zone are so much better than when I choose to hide from the world. And rightly so - God didn't create me - or anyone - to live in solitary confinement.
After he made Adam he said "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him." Gen 2:18
If I keep reading, I see:
"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Ecc 4:9-12
Over and over, I am learning that God made us to be part of community. Meaningful relationships are not only healthy, they're also very necessary.
So, I'll continue to push myself past the point of my comfort. I'll talk to the neighbor I don't know. I'll invite others into my home - determined to build deeper relationships. I'll take the time to encourage the mother with a baby on her hip and a toddler struggling to keep in step behind her because I've already walked that road. I'll call that friend that God brings to my mind - even when it means I give up my "me" time.
I can't ignore my introvert side. After all, God created me with that personality. But, at the same time, I'm learning that I cannot use that as an excuse to not be in relationships with those that God has put in my life.
What's God been showing you lately?
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