Have you ever had one of those weekends that felt like a whirlwind while you were in it, but once you took a second to rest from the chaos you realized just how awesome it was?
That was this past weekend for me. For my shy, introverted self, it was a stretch. Spending time with various people all day, every day, for three nights and two days straight? That used to be enough to hurl me into the fetal position, with covers over my head. We introverts like our "alone time" and our batteries are charged by that. Too much time around too many people tends to put us over the edge, and I was a little afraid of that going into the weekend.
However, and this is a huge however, I found myself pleasantly satisfied with how it all turned out. In a matter of 48 hours we spent some time with current friends, had another great evening getting to know new ones, and attended church as a family. In between that, I got to celebrate an upcoming wedding and a baby (not during the same shower!), giggle my way through Zumba, and have a much needed "date night" with my best girl from college.
It was fantastic! All of it. I was a little surprised by how well I handled all of the activity but, before you go and think I'm becoming some crazy extrovert, let me tell you that I was in bed by 10:00 last night and haven't moved from the couch for much of the afternoon!
At church yesterday, our pastor talked about what it is that we want people to know about us, and why we want them to know it. In my experience, the more we know about someone, the harder it can be to love them. As our pastor suggested, this is probably why you don't see Facebook posts stating that someone just yelled at their wife or kicked their dog. We want people to know the good, but none of us have stories that are just good. There's bad and ugly, too.
This afternoon, amidst my need for some "me time", I am giving thanks for those who know all the crap in my life, but still choose to invest in it. I am thankful that new friends have come along, whose stories we can learn, and with whom we can share ours. But, most of all, I am thankful for the reminder that all of the glory, honor, and power for what has happened in my life goes to the One who gave me life in the first place.
I pray I can come to boldly proclaim this...
That was this past weekend for me. For my shy, introverted self, it was a stretch. Spending time with various people all day, every day, for three nights and two days straight? That used to be enough to hurl me into the fetal position, with covers over my head. We introverts like our "alone time" and our batteries are charged by that. Too much time around too many people tends to put us over the edge, and I was a little afraid of that going into the weekend.
However, and this is a huge however, I found myself pleasantly satisfied with how it all turned out. In a matter of 48 hours we spent some time with current friends, had another great evening getting to know new ones, and attended church as a family. In between that, I got to celebrate an upcoming wedding and a baby (not during the same shower!), giggle my way through Zumba, and have a much needed "date night" with my best girl from college.
It was fantastic! All of it. I was a little surprised by how well I handled all of the activity but, before you go and think I'm becoming some crazy extrovert, let me tell you that I was in bed by 10:00 last night and haven't moved from the couch for much of the afternoon!
At church yesterday, our pastor talked about what it is that we want people to know about us, and why we want them to know it. In my experience, the more we know about someone, the harder it can be to love them. As our pastor suggested, this is probably why you don't see Facebook posts stating that someone just yelled at their wife or kicked their dog. We want people to know the good, but none of us have stories that are just good. There's bad and ugly, too.
This afternoon, amidst my need for some "me time", I am giving thanks for those who know all the crap in my life, but still choose to invest in it. I am thankful that new friends have come along, whose stories we can learn, and with whom we can share ours. But, most of all, I am thankful for the reminder that all of the glory, honor, and power for what has happened in my life goes to the One who gave me life in the first place.
I pray I can come to boldly proclaim this...
"Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel."
-Philippians 1:12
-Philippians 1:12
1 comment:
Great post Joye! I am not one for large crowds either. It is exhausting for me and I too crave my alone time.
I love what your pastor had to say and how very true it is.
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