The Powerful Purpose of Introverts 预览

Day 6

From Struggles to Strengths

Scripture: Psalm 139:13-16, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Embracing who we truly are takes courage and hard work, especially if we’ve felt pressure to be someone we’re not. My counseling and life-coaching clients, especially introverts, often showed up for their first appointment and said, “There’s a part of myself I don’t like. I want you to help me get rid of it.”

Even the apostle Paul begged God several times to take away something he saw as a weakness. The divine answer he received? “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Over the years I, like Paul, have come to believe what’s most powerful is not elimination but transformation. Who we are comes with potential struggles and strengths. That’s true for all of us, whether extroverts or introverts.

For example, because of their highly reactive nervous systems, introverts are more likely to struggle with anxiety. However, those same nervous systems also mean introverts often have a strong sense of empathy.

What if a struggle is just the other end of a strength? Picture a continuum with “struggle” on one side and “strength” on the other. In the middle are our core characteristics, like being wired as an introvert. 

Growth happens not by changing who we are but by learning how to move away from struggles and toward our strengths. Doing so activates our gifts, increases our well-being, and empowers us to make our greatest contributions to the world. 

Next time you’re tempted to criticize part of who you are, pause and consider an unexpected way it might be connected to a strength. Then think of one step you can take toward that strength. 

God doesn’t condemn us or compare us to anyone else, which means we don’t have to either. Sacred confidence is the courage to believe that who he created us to be is enough and offer all of who we are to him. 

You’re created in the image of God. You’re loved as you are. You have nothing to prove. As Chrystal Evans Hurst says, “You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.”

We live in a noisy, chaotic culture. We’re all looking for less stress and more peace, less noise and more meaning, less hurry and more rest. I believe introverts can lead the way, and we can all move toward a stronger life today.

What’s a part of who you are that you’ve seen as a struggle? How might it be connected to a strength? (For example, people who struggle with anxiety often have strong empathy for others.)