What I Wanted to Be When I Grew Up

Photo Credit: Georg Sander (GS1311) via Compfight cc

I’ve started a new blog at www.droppingtheact.com. Check it out for the latest content.

When I was about six-years-old I declared to my mom, as we drove down the street with the wind in our hair (probably because the A/C didn’t work!), “When I grow up, I want to be a mom and drive a blue convertible.”

Over the years, the answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” has changed and evolved for me.  Although I stuck with about half of that original declaration–being a mom–I decided the blue convertible might not be that practical.  But there were other dreams and loves that I had as a child and teenager that I had forgotten about, or shelved, in the busyness of fulfilling my dream of motherhood.

In a previous post I mentioned the book Quiet by Susan Cain and promised some follow-up on my blog about introverts.  Well, I came across this particular section of the book where Cain gives some very practical steps for introverts to discover where they fit in the workplace (but it translates to ministry just as well).  I thought it was fantastic!

Cain says: “First, think back to what you loved to do when you were a child…the answer you gave may have been off the mark, but the underlying impulse was not.  If you wanted to be a fireman, what did a fireman mean to you?  A good man who rescued people in distress?  A daredevil?…If you wanted to be a dancer, was it because you got to wear a costume, or because you craved applause, or was it the pure joy of twirling around at lightning speed?  You may have known more about who you were then than you do now.

Second, pay attention to the work you gravitate to…

Finally, pay attention to what you envy.  Jealousy is an ugly emotion, but it tells the truth” (218).

Good stuff, right?  Like I said, it got my wheels turning and I remembered, for me, those things I loved as a child were writing and creating things.  Making things with my hands.  Creating beauty with words or objects.  Those were the things that brought me joy–and really still do–I had just forgotten.  I’m so glad that God has given me the opportunity find the joy in these things again.  I’m pretty sure he’s delighting in my delight! 🙂

What did you want to be when you were a child?  Why?

How can you find an outlet in your life and ministry for the things that bring you joy? 

 

Calling All “Loners” and “Oddballs”

Photo Credit: World Bank Photo Collection via Compfight cc

I’ve started a new blog at www.droppingtheact.com. Check it out for the latest content.

I could feel twenty pairs of eyes boring into my skull as my third-grade teacher said, “Erica, could you please read that again. Louder. The class couldn’t hear you.” A barely audible collective groan escaped from my classmates’ throats, and a few of them rolled their eyes. My cheeks flushed in utter humiliation. Swallowing the hard lump in my throat, I tried to keep my voice from wobbling as I began reading the passage for the third time because my teacher said I was reading too quietly.

Fast forward a few years to high school where I was conveniently ill on speech days, preferring to take an “F” over standing in a room full of my peers with all eyes on me. Horrifying!

All those years I thought something was wrong with me. I silently berated myself for being so shy. Why couldn’t I just get over it? Why couldn’t I be like the other kids who gave flawless speeches with nary a flub or stutter? I wondered why I wasn’t good enough, and I began to develop an extreme dislike for my personality.

I’d be lying if I said the feeling hasn’t followed me into adulthood. We live in a culture that rewards outgoing, socially-polished individuals, and is a little suspect of the person who enjoys solitude, generally labeling them as “loners” and a bit “odd.” It’s hard not to feel inferior when you don’t fit the mold. However, the older I get, and the more I get to know Jesus (who loves me just the way I am! Imagine!), the more I realize that I am not a mistake. My personality is not second-class. God can use me–wants to use me–just as I am, the way he created me.

I’m reading Quiet, by Susan Cain. The tagline of the book is “the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking.” I was intrigued. Introverts, powerful? Interesting. Cain says, “Extroversion is an enormously appealing personality style, but we’ve turned it into an oppressive standard to which most of us feel we must conform…there’s zero correlation between the gift of gab and good ideas.” Wow! If you’re an introvert, let that sink in. God’s not asking you to conform to something you’re not. You have something to offer just as you are. It might not look or sound the way the world expects it should–and that’s okay.

Since the focus of my blog is ministry and missions, in future posts I’m going to talk about some challenges and strengths of introverts in ministry. My hope is that all of us can find a way to thrive by not only accepting the way God made us, but embracing it.

What are some unique challenges that you face as an introvert in an extroverted world?

How do you overcome them?

If you’re an extrovert chances are someone you love is an introvert. How can you support and encourage them to embrace that?