Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Anxious Moments

Wednesday, July 11, 2018
“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”  Psalm 46:10(NLT)
Yesterday’s devotion on patience revealed how “anxious” a control-freak pastor can get when stuff happens to turn a worship service on its ear.  I’d like to revisit that today for a few moments to pull back the flap of an introvert’s quiet, control-loving insides.
That thing the Psalmist wrote about being still is something that comes naturally to me.  Introverts prefer – uh, change that to love, crave, and would sometimes actually consider killing for – quiet!  Well, not really, but you get the picture.  My traditional response to seeing high-energy interactive opportunities is to grab a book and head for the nearest quiet corner!
The difference between “type-A” and “type-B” (extroverted vs. introverted) personality types is well-documented.  The A-types crave interaction and being with as many others as can fill a noisy room.  Type-B’s prefer one-on-one, and a much quieter experience. 
Some research about pastors indicates there are many more introverted pastors than the other.  Strange, isn’t it?  You know that old saying about the pickup line in a bar:  What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?  It applies here:  Hey, pastor, what’s an introverted book worm like you doing leading a frenzied mess we call church?
Now that may say two things:  the first is that you don’t choose ministry; it captures you when God taps you on the shoulder and says:  Saddle-up, bucko…it’s time to ride.  The other thing has to do with God’s sense of humor; only God would choose a quiet-loving person to be a pastor, where he has to stand in front of a crowd, and stand-up even in the awkward moments to push for the right thing to be done.  You gotta love God’s sense of humor!
Now, it’s not that introverts can’t function in a crowd; we just prefer the quieter ways.  But when we do find ourselves in the fast lane, we will hunt the quickest exit ramp.  That’s because socializing really takes the energy out of an introvert’s batteries.  After the ball is over it takes a lot longer to recharge our batteries than the average extrovert.
So, what does that mean to the introverted pastor who wants to obey God’s call to share the Good News, but still maintain sanity, relevance, and transparent integrity?  In short, how can I still be who I really am, if I must continually work against the natural tendencies I was born with?  I’m quiet by nature, but I must speak up.  I’m shy in social situations, but I’m called to engage anyway.  I prefer thinking, but am expected to talk.
Well, it IS a problem, but, before we gavel the Russell pity-party to order here, let’s take a look around.  What other kinds of “natural” tendencies do we see that God seems to want us to “overcome” in favor of something opposite? 
·      What about tempers popping-off at the slightest offense? 
·      How about gluttonous appetites going back for a fourth time at the buffet line at the annual homecoming dinner on the grounds? 
·      What about the anger that crushes a spouse’s hopes and dreams, or even her eye socket and collarbone? 
·      What about the tendency to give up on people or even church? 
·      What about the child learning to go through life as if everyone else is unimportant…only to be screamed at if you don’t get the toy you wanted? 
·      What about striking-back when the world has done you dirty?
·      And, lest we forget the current ruckus in which the United Methodist Church is embroiled – sexuality issues.  What about our tendencies to do, (and be) what we want – the way we were made…work out all that animal lust our way, and not God’s way?
In the same way this introvert, flawed, sometimes petulantly quiet and moody, needs to get a life, put on a smile, shake a hand, and give a hug to someone who needs it, all of us need to keep our natural tendencies under the influence of self-discipline. 
God calls all of us to that!
For You Today
Paul told the Ephesian church this about their natural tendencies that made them selfish and less than Kingdom stars for Jesus:
We are to grow up and be more like Christ. He is the leader of the church.  
Ephesians 4:15b(NLV)
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

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