Welcome Back My Dear Friend
Hello from the gloomy, cold and wet side of the world! It has been raining non-stop here in Sydney for the past couple of days. But I'm not complaining. Not one bit. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the winter season? It may be because I was born in the month of July, which makes me a winter baby. Or it could be due to the true introvert inside of me that just wants to sit in a cute and quirky bookstore cafe, reading endlessly, drinking copious amounts of herbal tea, and being all snuggled up whilst surrounded by the sound of the pouring rain outside. My ideal day spent well. I'm what we call the complex individual. An introverted extrovert who craves community and fellowship, but who also wants to be left alone. As much as I love adventure, I also love being a homebody. Say what?
But you can be both of these right? Well surely you can. There should be a balance. Just because you're an introvert doesn't mean you can't be part of a community and make connections with other people. And just because you're an extrovert doesn't mean you can't have some quiet time to yourself, whether that be reading, watching a movie or whatever it is that gets you in your comfort zone. I'm sure if we were left in either extreme, we would go insane. I've been there believe me, and it's not healthy at all.
I think we all fail to admit that we want to be part of something bigger, especially my introverted friends. As much as we love keeping our circle of friends small, we still desire to belong to something that fulfils our purpose, so naturally we long to be a part of something that extends our inner circle.
That something (or someone) is Christ Himself, Who not only makes us feel like we are a part of something bigger, but Who truly fills us and accepts us as we are. Fellowship with Him guarantees just that. We were all called into an authentic relationship with Him: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” - I Corinthians 1:9 I find that when I'm distant from Him, I shut myself out from the world like a recluse, or I would completely throw myself in the most outlandish of situations, only to find myself heartbroken and distraught after. Don't ever think that as a Christian you need to be a hermit, running away from the world; or that you need to be so outspoken, you need the whole world to hear you out. Have you ever just thought that maybe God just wants you to be yourself? He simply wants your heart and nothing else! When you start to understand and know Him, you begin to realise the importance of fellowship. You begin to understand the possibility of having time to yourself whilst being a valuable member of society. Only God can give you this balance. He doesn't want you to be living on either end of the spectrum. He simply wants you to live. Don't take it from me, but from His Word. I've learnt the hard way. I've learnt that it's not ok to shut yourself from the world. It's not ok to keep all your thoughts to yourself. That's not to say that we are to blurt out our deepest thoughts to anyone we come across. You need to be able to open up to those closest to you. God especially.
God should be the first person we run to. He should be the one we tell our thoughts, fears and all that lies deep within our inner selves. He knows everything about you after all, so why not? He invites us all to genuine fellowship with Him so let us accept this amazing invitation.
I love reading the bible most mornings with some tea or coffee. Spending that time with God helps me grow in my fellowship with Him and subsequently with others.
Now, I know I have a lot of work to do. There are still days where I don't feel like I'm a part of anything at all, even though I see the same people every week. I tend to reject invites for social gatherings because I want to avoid people. I don't want this to be the case though, so pray that God gives me the push I need to involve myself a lot more. And I pray that He does the same for you.
I want you to know that you're not alone. We can struggle together. We can struggle to grow and mature in Him so He can give us the balance we need and were created for. We were meant to live in loving fellowship. We were meant to have a sound mind. We were created to live in balance.
Hope you all enjoy the winter season. It's the perfect time to get cozy and reflect over a hot cuppa. At least for me.
Stay well guys xx