For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV
I am a hard-core introvert. And I am living in a culture that exalts extroversion. For most of my life, I suffered under the impression that there was something wrong with me because I liked being alone and did not like large gatherings, I did not make friends easily, and I seemed unable to strike up a conversation with another person.
Even life in the church was challenging. I was pretty comfortable teaching a Sunday school class or other Bible study group, so long as I had plenty of time to prepare. But all too often, the large group gatherings were something to endure rather than enjoy. And the focus on personal evangelism often left me feeling like a failure.
But I have come to realize that I am not broken. I am God’s handiwork, his creation. He has made me the way that I am. As an introvert. Rather than try to be something I am not, I have been freed to be what God created me to be. He made me the way that I am for his own use. And he has equipped me to serve him in that way.
All believers are not the same. But we are all God’s handiwork. He has created each of us the way that we are. And he has something for each of us to do. Don’t try to be someone else. Be the child of God he has called you to be. And rejoice in what he is doing with, and through, you as you faithfully serve him.
