Dear reader,
I have finally begun to accept and enjoy the fact that I am an introvert. Growing up as an Asian girl in an American culture has been amazing. I love it. But the same culture that has helped me become who I am, has also at times, played a part in convincing me that it is not alright to be myself. I have often heard the phrase, "you're so quiet" as if being quiet were an undesirable trait. I started to believe the lie that the highest goal in relationships is to always be talking, be outgoing, be the life of the party. For years, I have either tried to be all that or shut down, hiding within myself and bitterly admitting that I am an introvert. I became ashamed of being too quiet, too sensitive, and too analytical. And in the end, I believed that I was "alone" because there was something wrong with me.
But now I have discovered the hope of a new beginning: that I am beautiful and God made no mistake when He created me. I am learning that there is strength in quietness, and a sweet tenderness that comes out of being reflective. I am also realizing that my greatest enemies were not the people that seemed to judge me, but the subtle lies the enemy slipped into my thinking.
No one can make you believe that you are most glorious when you are yourself...except God. When He reaches down into the depths of your soul, casts out the lies, and plants truth in your heart, then something changes. Something begins that the enemy cannot stop no matter how hard he tries. Because now you know the truth and the truth will set you free.