You're Not Everyones Cup of Tea?

If God sees us as complete, beautifully and wonderfully made, knit together by His hand, loved and cherished child of the Most High. . .why is it so hard to accept ourselves and feel accepted by others?  When did people get more power over our thoughts than the Almighty God?  The God of the Universe thinks you are wonderful, but people, social media, etc.,  can make you feel so less than.  I read a pin on Pinterest that said "You're not Everyones Cup of Tea".  Well, isn't that a heartwarming, albeit, true thought.  A lot of people don't even like tea, and they aren't afraid to express just how inadequate your flavor of tea is.  In fact, they not only dislike your flavor of tea,  they can't even tolerate tea.  Ish. 😝  Tea is gross.  Have you ever felt like a bad cup of tea?  I guess you'd leave a really foul taste in the drinkers mouth.  How sad is that?

Each individual is uniquely created.  We are the snowflakes of God's great menagerie.  We are definitely not all alike, therefore, we aren't always going to "get" each other.  And you know what?  That's okay.  We don't have to completely understand each other, but we can, I think, give each other the benefit of the doubt.  We can try and we can be kind.

In today's society, we are bombarded by labels.  Introvert, Extrovert, High Functioning, Highly Sensitive, Type A, Hyper, Assertive, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, Melancholic, etc, just to name a few.  In our Bible stories, we run across every different type of personality as well.  You had your born leaders, the underdogs, the doers, the thinkers, the melancholy, the self-righteous, just like today.

Jesus tried to get it through our thick skulls that we are to try and get along with everyone, as much as we are able.  "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12:18)  With all those personalities floating around out there, the clash is inevitable. (That's before mixing in religion and politics!)   As an Introverted, choleric, HSP,  I feel like a deer in the headlights at times when I encounter someone with a personality on the opposite side of the wheel as mine.  

I'll admit, I can very easily get my feelings hurt and I feel everything.  I'm uncomfortable doing certain things alone, like eating in a restaurant, walking through crowded places or attending a new group.  I am very imaginative and totally resonate with the constantly running inner monologue!  Most people make me nervous.  I do not make friends easily -  so I really appreciate the people who are approachers and inviters!!  I overthink everything.  And, for whatever reasons, can easily throw the walls up around my heart, which, I have determined, is a form of self-protection from rejection. I  need to know that I can trust people with my heart. I appreciate the consistent personality, and I'm sad to admit that I have a tendency to isolate if I am feeling hurt, misunderstood or ambushed. I am not as self-confident as people assume when meeting me.  I am typically shy and do not know what to say.  In fact, I can say some really strange things or be completely tongue tied and appear quiet and avoid eye contact.  Hopefully, if you take the time to get to know me a little, I'll lighten up and stop acting so awkward. Thankfully, I have some super great people in my life that love unconditionally, accept the weirdness, and ignore the rest!   😀

I don't resonate with all the qualities of an Introvert, but these really caught my eye:

• You prefer not to engage with people who seem angry or upset
• You often feel alone in a crowd
• You've been called overly sensitive
• You screen all your calls
• You avoid shows that might involve audience participation
• You notice details
• You have a constantly running inner monologue
• You have low blood pressure (90/60 at my last appt.)
• You communicate better in writing (obviously, have you ever tried to have a conversation with me?)
• You alternate between phases of work/solitude and periods of social activity.

From 23 signs you might be an introvert by Huffington Post:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/03/caring...introvert/302696

Whether we inherit our personalities or they are learned, no matter ... you are going to process situations differently from others. I did not learn to communicate my feelings verbally as a child, and it's still very difficult as an adult. I don't take compliments well, and I'll probably send you a note at some point to express how thankful I am for something you did or said, instead of telling you face to face.  As a teenager, I developed a sharp sarcastic comeback for virtually anything thrown at me and I acted as though I didn't care what was said about me or to me.  But I heard and stored every word.  I'm also a very spongy personality, so if you are exuding it, I'll pick up on it.  Match that with a huge imagination, and welcome to the emotional jungle that is my brain.  

When I came to know Jesus, the snarky comebacks didn't feel right, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I've tried to let that go, and accept that people are doing the best that they can and that they usually don't mean the things they say, or at least they don't mean them like I am perceiving them.  I also try my best to very careful about the words I say to others, but I miss the mark, a lot.

Today's take away?  Be yourself.  Say nice things.  Don't make assumptions.  Be kind.  Try and give grace.  Remember that God doesn't make mistakes. Own your faults and let the Holy Spirit change you from the inside out.  Say the good things out loud and forget the unnecessary words altogether.  Yep, keep them to yourself.  You won't remember what you said, but the other person will.  Once the words are said, you can't take them back.  

Remember that whatever God calls you to, He will equip you for.   Like I've said before, God sees you as complete.  He sees you as you will be when your journey is done and you stand in His Presence, wholly and completely known, perfect to Him in every way.    Until then, let's have courage.  Embrace who you are, and if you need to change, ask for the Holy Spirit to help you.  Sometimes it's a long process, like in my case, but He is faithful and He will continue to chisel away all those imperfections until that Masterpiece that is you is finally seen.  

Maybe next time I'll touch on a few of those words that stuck ... Like vulture lips 👄, porky, tubbo, crybaby,  and why I wore a lot of black t-shirts.  Or maybe not . . .