Are you a loner? Do you shy away from large crowds? Do you prefer to be by yourself or perhaps in small groups? Do you use that as an excuse to stay home? Do you use it as an excuse to not attend church?
Some of us are do prefer to spend time by ourselves. We prefer meeting with just a friend or two rather than being in large crowds. We seem to be lost in large groups. Often, we aren’t comfortable walking up to others to start a conversation. In today’s world of social media, that seems to be growing more common.
I’ve taken those personality tests from time-to-time and I’m always indicated as an introvert. For those of us who are introverts, the social media explosion can just exacerbate the issue. We turn further inside and hunker down in our shell. This makes it hard to be sociable when in large crowds.
What can we do about this condition? I’ve found over the years there isn’t much we can do except force ourselves to walk up to someone and start a conversation when in a large crowd, even if it’s about something as passé as the weather. It may sound korny, but we have to force ourselves to take that step.
Why do we need to take that step? We are made by God to be a social people. We need interaction with others. We need to become, at least somewhat, comfortable in large crowds. Enough so as not to be overwhelmed with anxiety in them. Why?
We need to be in a crowd to attend church. You see, we need to go to church. We need to be around other Christians. We can’t be a Lone Ranger Christian. It is by being with other Christians, learning from them, that we grow in our knowledge and understanding of God. As stated in Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Paul tells us it is through the church that God reveals His wisdom. To become wise in God’s Word and to enrich our lives, we need to be active in the church. We need the others in the church and the others need us in the church. We all learn from our interactions with each other. God made us that way.
I pray we all decide to attend church. I pray we decide to gather and discuss God’s Word with one another. I pray each of us will seek to grow in knowledge and wisdom by being an active member of the church. Be with God’s people. Learn from other Christians. Grow in wisdom. Ask God to help you overcome your hesitancy.
Ephesians 3:10-12 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Marty Pressey 