As humans it’s pretty natural to look for similarities in others and then categorize ourselves accordingly. Sometimes this can be a good thing, sometimes not so much. A popular way to identify ourselves today is as either introverts or extroverts. I see this as a good thing.
How We Recharge
There’s a lot of ways to talk about the differences between introverts and extroverts. Many of them capture something that true, none of them probably paint the whole picture. It’s a common misconception that extroverts love to be around people and introverts don’t, or that extroverts are the life of the party and introverts are “wall flowers.” Neither of these are true. Part of the difference between the two is that extroverts get rest by being with others and introverts rest by being alone.
Our Relational Design
Whether you find yourself in one category or the other, you were designed for relationships. In Genesis 1 and 2 we see the true story of God bringing design and order to his creation. He creates lights for the day and night sky, land and sea, plants and animals, birds and fish… and for 6 days God creates everything and declares that “it was good.” Until…
God made a man. One solitary man. He gives the man, named Adam, the job of naming all the animals. As Adam does he quickly discovers that each animal has a pair but Adam did not. After saying “It was good” over all of His creation, for the first time in Gen. 2:18 God says “It is not good….” What was it that wasn’t good? It wasn’t good “…that the man should be alone.” So God made a woman and as the two of them stood there, together, in relationship, not alone… God said “It was very good.” (Gen. 1:31)
In His Image
God made mankind “in His image” (Gen. 1:27). Part of this image is that people are relational because God is relational. God has eternally existed as 3 persons in one God, a trinity of persons without distinction in deity. This is hard for us to understand because we aren’t God, but God has eternally existed in relationship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created us to reflect his nature and his nature is relational and thus ours is too.
Not a Mistake
God didn’t make a mistake when he made Adam alone. He didn’t make Adam and then adjust the plan later with Eve to fix what He had gotten wrong. He left Adam alone so that he would see and recognize his need. Once Adam realized that he was alone, God finished the original plan and declared things to be “very good.”
The Problem of Pandemic
This creates a problem for us as we face COVID-19 and the quarantine orders that separate us from others. Whether or not you believe the lock down is right or wrong, helpful or harmful, good or bad… we need relationships. Maybe you are more aware of you need for relationships with others than you have ever been before, maybe not. But maybe there is someone else out there who is more desperate for relationships than ever before.
Sinfulness of Complaint
Unfortunately, one of my first responses when things are going my way is to complain. But God is pretty clear on how he feels about complaining. 1 Cor. 10:10 is clear that God finds the complaints of his people to be wrong. Things don’t go our way and so we grumble. At the heart of grumbling is a heart attitude that believes God got things wrong. We complain because we think that we deserve better, or that God should have done better, or maybe even just that he could have done better. The reality is that even when we don’t understand what is going on around us, God never gets it wrong and is always working for our good (Rom. 8:28).
Ways to Honor God in Quarantine
Replace grumbling with gratitude. Regularly write down what you have to be grateful for and then review your list occasionally. 1 Cor. 10:10
Determine that you will return to church as soon as safety and conscience allow. There may be good reasons for you to be separate from the church right now, but church absence is contrary to design. Have a plan to return quickly. Heb. 10:25
Call people who might have limited access to relationships.
Visit someone who may be lonely. Just bring a lawn chair and sit outside at least 6ft away from each other.
Wear a mask in public. This point may be controversial… but whether you think it’s necessary or not, it is a way to make others more comfortable and be obedient to governing authorities. 1 Cor. 9; Rom. 13; 1 Pet. 2:13-17
Pray. Pray for those in charge of governments and agencies, pray for the church, pray for others. Sometimes when we pray it seem like we think we ought to be doing more. Always remember that praying is doing something! If nothing else, it places our trust in the hands of the one who is both sovereign and good. 1 Tim. 2:1-4