#67 – Power to the Introverts

Welcome to season seven of Presently Engaged with Mandy Pallock. Here you will find short, friendly, Jesus-focused encouragement to live intentionally right where you are. In this episode, we will have a devotional thought source from life, and then we’ll end the podcast with a scripture reading. I’ll be reading from the English Standard Version of a passage, and this will give us the opportunity to center our minds on Jesus and our hearts on his word, because lives will change as we engage with God’s word.

Would you be willing to share this podcast with a friend or with someone that you’re mentoring? Listen in and then join me at presentlyengaged.com. I’m so grateful for your time and glad that you are here, because you, friend, are making a difference. Have you ever wondered how to tell the difference between an introverted programmer and an extroverted programmer?

They say that an introverted programmer stares at their shoes while they talk, but an extroverted one stares at your shoes while they talk. Joking aside, though, the best indicator between introverts and extroverts is not how they act socially, but how they recharge after a social experience. Extroverts spend time with people and then recharge with even more people. And introverts spend time with people and then need time alone to recharge.

This does not mean that extroverts never need to be alone or that introverts do not delight in time with people. Extroverts are simply energized by time with people and introverts are energized by time alone. I am an introvert happily married to an introvert. And I grew up surrounded by amazing and strong extroverts, so it’s taken a while to discover the healthy rhythms and strengths of introversion.

After a party or an event, my husband Peter and I will actually head to different places of the house for some of that needed recharging time. And after a time of aloneness, we’re both ready to jump back into interactions with people. Introverts think and feel deeply. Make sure that you have one in your group.

Chances are that when you ask a group for feedback, an introvert will not offer anything initially, but if you ask them directly, they will have a well thought out answer at the ready. It’s just what we do. Introverts love deeply too. They often direct their attention toward one individual or group at a time with a personal interest and a focused love.

You might be listening to this as an extrovert thinking, well, wait, that’s what I do. I don’t know these things. I’m simply sharing out of my own introverted musings and experiences. And you might be listening to this as an introvert thinking, I really wish I were more extroverted.

And note that I did not say more friendly or more confident. Friendliness and confidence are practiced and developed traits, not on the introverted extroverted scale. So dear introvert, I will speak directly to you right now. Be confident in this.

God will never ask you to violate the personality that he designed. He will put you in special and challenging and growing circumstances for sure. But he will not violate the core of who you are and what he made. He made you with your personality and introversion and loves and strengths.

So here are four ways that you can use your introversion to your advantage this week. And if you love an introvert, four ways you can encourage them to use their introversion to their advantage. Number one, pray in the checkout line, whatever line you’re in, focus your attention on that harried human that’s running the cashier, pray for them as they help other customers check out, watch as they interact. And then when you get to the front of the line, smile and say something, you’ve had all that time to think of the words.

Those words could be, what’s the best thing that’s happened to you today? Or thanks for making it happen. Or even, Hey, I love to pray for people. Is there anything I can pray for you?

As you near a social interaction, pray for the person with whom you will be interacting. Number two, listen with love. Introverts tend to listen more than they speak. Use this to your advantage.

One of the most impactful gifts that you can give another person is the gift of your focused attention in a conversation and in life. Look for these subtle hints that others are sharing about who they are, and what is most important to them and what most interests them. Number three, focus on freedom. Man, if I had a penny for every thought that I had after the fact, when I had a great comeback too late, or had an idea that supported a conversation after the fact, I would have a lot of pennies.

Again, God made that personality and tendency in you. It’s perfectly acceptable to follow up with a person after a conversation to share additional thoughts or feedback. Many introverts do their best thinking either before or after an event, create space to prepare for a purposeful gathering, take notes, give yourself the freedom to circle back. You are important and you have something of value to share with us.

And number four, never use your introversion as an excuse. In an unhealthy space, us introverts can actually come across as judgmental, proud, unfriendly, or rude. It’s not because we are those things, it’s because we’re probably still observing and learning how best to interact in the current circumstances. Unless of course we are actually being judgmental, proud, unfriendly, or rude, your heart knows the answer.

Ask God to free you from using your personality as an excuse for a character flaw. Give it to Jesus and ask him to replace it with humble love and friendly attention. I love what Charles Spurgeon said. He said, child of God, you cost Christ too much for him to forget you.

So to the introverts among us, use your power. God has designed you to see, to observe. He has given you a deep love for people along with the need to separate at times into a quiet place for processing. It’s time for us introverts to seize the day and unite around the common goals of loving God and loving others.

It’s time for us to seize the day and engage in present moments that God has given. And it’s time for us to use our strengths of focused love and kind observation. And it’s time to speak up. Power to the introverts.

This season we are reading what I call the Apostle Paul’s Power Prayers. So join me in reading 2 Thessalonians 1, 1b-10, and Ephesians 3, 14-21. This is the word of the Lord. Grace to you and peace.

We give thanks to God always for all of you constantly mentioning you in our prayers. Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love, instead fastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know brothers loved by God that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake, and you became in its imitators of us and of the Lord for you received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you and how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.

Amen. So by now you’ve probably heard that I’ve written a book right? You’ve actually heard that? The question habit is all about building relationships with God and others one question at a time because asking questions and listening well can take every relationship deeper.

So maybe you haven’t had a chance to read it yet because life is really busy these days. Well you friend are officially invited to our book club where we’ll go through the book in four sessions via zoom. We’re going to work our way through the question habit, have amazing conversations and make application to your own life and your own relationships. This is a free book club and all you need is your own copy of the book.

We’re going to kick it off on Monday September 23rd so drop me an email at mandy at presentlyengaged.com to register. It won’t be the same without you.