“Lord, I don’t like this.”
Ever said those words?
If you are like me, you have not only said it but you have felt it so many times and still do.
Those things that you know you must do but are too far out of your norm and zone of comfort that you would rather steer clear, abandon ship, run for cover, hide.
But the more I mature in the Lord, the more I realize that this walk with Him as an introvert is one where I must embrace the call to be gracefully uncomfortable.
This is so counter-cultural. So many times we hear things that teach us to jump ship whenever things get difficult. They teach us that if anything gets too hard, challenges us or feels opposite to what we are comfortable with, it is “out of alignment”. Another phrase that can be used is “it doesn’t feel true to you”.
But let’s ask ourselves, do we truly fully know ourselves?
We are constantly on a journey of self-discovery in God.
The more we journey with God the more He starts to reveal aspects of ourselves that we never even knew existed. If that is the case, how can we truly know what feels true except God reveals?
We certainly cannot rely on what we think or feel because our mind and emotions can play tricks on us, can lie to us.
For example, all my life God had always been putting me in some sort of position of leadership. I didn’t understand it. There was one particular position I was in and I felt like it just wasn’t for me when in reality my idea of “alignment” was something that was more comfortable and what I perceived I could handle.
But that’s not what will cause for one to grow.
How could we be so annoyed, frustrated and irritated by something that God actually would use to grow and mature us into who He has always known us to be? It’s like we are setting ourselves up against our own growth.
I have now reached the point where I’m not fighting it anymore. I can’t run away from it anymore.
You and I have to embrace the call to continually be gracefully uncomfortable.
What does this mean?
It means that even when things seem difficult or outside of our comfort zone, we receive the strength, grace and ability to persevere, to fulfil the mission, to exceed even the expectations we had of ourselves.
God has reminded me recently about what this platform is really about and it really is a call to embrace the higher call as an introvert willing to be stretched and equipped for His glory for such a time as this.
Thriving Introvertly is a space where introverts like me document and share the lessons, blessings, challenges and triumphs we experience as we take steps to fulfilling the higher call God has for us daily.
It’s not a call to be comfortable and stick with the status quo. It’s a call to be gracefully uncomfortable.
So dear introverts, being uncomfortable is part of the process of fulfilling the purpose God has for you.
It’s not about being someone who you are not, but it’s about being who God knows you to be even if you don’t know it yet.
So don’t run away. Learn to embrace it by faith knowing that God is with you every step of the way.
Resources:
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What is one way you feel God is stretching you in this season? Comment below!
