Have you ever woken up in the morning feeling as though there was a burst of sunshine within you that you just had to share with everyone around you? I admit it rarely happens to me but on rare occasions it has been known to happen. I’ve never really known where it comes from but I’m beginning to suspect it comes from God. How I wish that I would recognize that at the point it happens so that I would give the giver praise.
It so happened that one such morning, so filled with joy and excitement was I, that I proceeded to share it with people I thought would join in the joyful chorus. It was not to be. The first person I spoke to was full of doom and gloom and I regretted having conversed with him even with my best intentions to spread cheer. The second person was even more sarcastic and rude. At that point I felt deflated and that the wind was being taken away from under my wings. So, I paused to contemplate the rapid turn of a seemingly good day. I do believe that I should have taken some time in prayer and meditation that morning instead. The scripture says ‘Lord in the morning, will I direct my prayer’ Psalms 5:3 (KJV). Proverbs also says He who blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
The happenings of that morning are teaching me as an introverted person, that God made me so for a reason. His purpose for me is to hear Him, feel Him and express myself to Him so that he can prepare me for a work that is greater than myself but only if it is directed of Him. Seems complicated but it is rather simple. Some people have to find different channels of expression, other than interaction with others. It may be in written word, song, poetry, art, or journaling. It actually makes more sense to express oneself in alternative ways if that is the way one is wired. Such expression tends to bear more fruit because thoughts, feelings and perspectives, have been processed in the correct way.
When you think about it, a minority of people have learned to stop and listen to God. We are so engaged with external stimulation either from the internet or people around us that we seldom take time out from all these sources of information, quieten our hearts and listen to God. No wonder then that we get so disillusioned, hurt and even angry when we encounter people being themselves. I for example should not have had any expectation of another human being to join my morning party. It is completely unreasonable to harbor such an expectation of anyone. Yet God was clearly communicating to me and I did not perceive it. Why wouldn’t I just quieten my soul and listen to him? After all, He is my joy and my strength.
We live and learn and that’s a good thing. It is important to own our own weaknesses and faults, so that we can go to the one who is able to teach us, heal us and grow us so that we can mature in righteousness. It is equally important to outgrow that need for acceptance by human beings because in many ways it may hinder us from pursuing God’s will for our lives. Being overly dependant on acclamation from men is a dangerous thing. Every once in a while, it is important for us to take stock of our lives and ask ourselves if we are spending meaningful time with God to know His will, to gain strength from Him to obey Him. Mathew 10:28 says it this way, – Andfear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. KJV
I’m now learning to redirect my burst of sunshine to its giver. Going back to God in the joy He gives. Stilling my heart to hear Him. Letting Him minister to the wounds in my soul until they are just scars that tell a story of God’s grace. I share this because it’s an important lesson no matter the personality. It honestly doesn’t matter that we are extroverts or introverts. We all need a moment of stillness. We all need a moment to listen to God. As a matter of fact, any time we have an unpleasant encounter with someone else, it is often useful to self-reflect and ask oneself what one could have done differently, even if one did not do anything that could have been termed as offensive. Looking at an issue through the lens of the Holy Spirit may reveal a lot that would help in avoiding such incidences in future.
A quick search for the number of references of morning encounters in the Word of God, comes to about 138. It seems that God does honor the early hours of the morning when men awake, if they take the time to seek Him out then. That is not to say that He will not be found at any other time, but that He does honor those who seek Him out early in the morning. Perhaps if I had taken the time to pursue Him with equal vigor, I would have kept the burst of sunshine the whole day. Who is to say? Nevertheless, I have learned my lesson and I hope this helps you as well. I leave us with this interesting scripture in Luke 21:37 – 38 – (And in the day time He (Jesus), was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear Him.) KJV