On being a contentrovert
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have been put into lockdown, schools have closed, events have been canceled, businesses have been shuttered, emergency funds released, and millions have been told to work from home if they were allowed to work at all. No one will argue that this is a time of intense difficulty, trouble, and/or danger, which is the very definition of a crisis.
In psychology, a crisis is often seen as a challenging situation with the opportunity for things to get much better or much worse. The determination of whether things get better or worse in our current crisis situation will not be decided just by our circumstances, but also by how we react and adapt to the challenges these circumstances bring.
As mandatory restrictions drag on, the introverts among us tend to say, “I’m loving this,” while extroverts share, “this is killing me.”
My psychological testing places me as an introverted extrovert or an extraverted introvert, which means people like me tend to fluctuate between how much we like being home and how much we miss being with people.
Whether your tendencies lean toward being introverted, extroverted, or a combination thereof, let me share with you a new and better classification that I came across this last week which I think will become my go-to term to describe the new normal that most of us are experiencing. This new classification involves becoming what Chaplain Bill Adams termed a “contentrovert.”
The term comes from Philippians 4:11-13, where Paul shared, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
The secret? “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”
When we lose sight of God, we become discontent and upset in our situation.
When we keep our eyes on God, we can better experience peace and contentment in what’s happening, whether that situation puts us on the front lines fighting the virus, part of support services, working or hoping to work to make a living, or just sheltering at home. Being content and knowing that God and His support are with us, we can become greater conduits for the love that draws people deeper in their own relationship with God.
Becoming a contentrovert indicates that we, like Paul, have a go-to God who gives us the strength to face and be content in every situation whether good or bad, happy or sad, known or unknown. It’s not always easy, but with God all things are possible!
Becoming a contentrovert also carries with it the responsibility and joy of sharing. A hungry world awaits to hear and experience that they, too, can learn to be content in whatever situation they find themselves in through our great God who gives us strength.
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