In a Mirror Dimly

(Apologies to all both of my readers for a lack of posts!)

I had a beautiful experience yesterday evening. All three of my kids are taking piano lessons and my oldest is learning a version of Canon in D by Pachelbel. That piece is a favorite of mine, so I enjoy when he practices it.

But, right now he is still learning it, and is far from mastering it. He stumbles, hits many wrong notes, drops the left hand while working on the right, and the tempo is uneven. No concert hall would let him perform at this point. He himself is frustrated. You can see it on his face when he messes up and has to backtrack.

In spite of that, I loved it.

I loved it because I can hear that beautiful piece even through his fumbling and mistakes. I know what Canon in D is supposed to sound like, and even that little taste of what his effort can do brings me joy. It reminds me of the wonderful moment when I saw my bride march down the aisle toward me before we made our vows. That was nearly 20 years ago and I love her more now than in that moment, but that was the beginning. Of course I love a reminder of her and that day.

I also love it because I love him. Stephen is 13 and for fellow parents perhaps that's enough to have a sense of where he is in life right now. He is absolutely my son; introverted, computer gamer, math brain, sees issues in black and white, and sadly (for the rest of the family) has my sense of humor. He's probably going to be taller than me. And I love him dearly. Whatever he does has value to me because he is immeasurably valuable.

Our relationship with God is described in many ways, one of which is like a parent and child. We are told to pray to him as "our father in heaven." Yesterday evening, I had a glimpse of that. In spite of my fumbling, sin, and foolishness, God knows his great sovereign plan for creation and even uses my fumbling work to bring it about. He also knows me and loves me; he loves me enough to sacrifice his own son for me.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: you are loved dearly and your good works, though tarnished by our sin and foolishness in this life, do glorify your father in heaven. Plod on in the good you do now and look forward to an even better day.


For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. - I Corinthians 13:12

Can Introverts Qualify to be Elders?

Ironically, I've thought more about this question after I was installed as an elder than before. Still, it is a fair question. Another is how could someone who is drained by social interaction serve well as an elder? We have plenty of examples in scripture of men who appear to be extroverts, such as Peter, James and John (Sons of Thunder), Paul, David, Nehemiah, and more. Looking at these, we may think introversion is hardly desirable in a leader in the church.

However, we have the confounding factor that an extrovert will stand out more than an introvert as a consequence of the behavior associated with each. The extrovert will draw more attention (and perhaps more narrative) due to their higher levels of social interaction. It is not necessarily so, but could be.

Our better guide is to look at the qualifications set out for being an elder. Let's take a look at I Timothy 3: 1-7.

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

There are many aspects of a man's life to consider in these qualifications. We can summarize most of this by saying we should look for maturity and leadership. Maturity encapsulates most of the personal morality references to being above reproach, self-controlled, gentle, etc. Essentially, is he along the road of sanctification? Leadership includes aspects such as able to teach and leading his own household.

When we look at those two major categories of maturity and leadership, neither plainly disqualify an introvert. Maturity can clearly be true of introvert or extrovert. Leadership is the same. Though an introvert may have to push through some very social situations, that doesn't eliminate leadership qualities. Of course, neither category eliminates an extrovert either! Perhaps an extrovert would have to push through being self-controlled in the time he spends socially, but the fact of being extroverted would not disqualify him.

So, based on the general categories and specifics of the qualifications for elder, the introvert may have to overcome some things and the extrovert may have to overcome some things. Neither is disqualified just by being on the introversion/extroversion continuum. Not being mature enough to press on with his duties in spite of introversion/extroversion being a barrier in a given situation would be a problem and perhaps indicate not being qualified. I think this is one of the beauties of the Presbyterian system where a church is run by multiple elders. Hopefully, elders with complimentary gifts (and weaknesses) will be found on a Session so they can encourage each other.

Image Source: photographer:☻☺ (the only name given), title: "the prayer continued," used with no modification under Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 2.0; source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/c0t0s0d0/2334183401

The Introvert Goes to a Conference

Conferences are not the natural habitat of introverts. Yes, you will find us there. We're the ones sitting or standing away from the main flow of traffic, looking through our program at what session to go to next. Of course if we came with a group, we'll gravitate toward them. We probably won't ask questions during the session but might approach the speaker afterward. 

Whether introvert or not, I'm here at a conference now.  I'm responsible to my employer (who sent me) to gain the information and training I can to do my job better. I'm responsible to contribute back to the professional community by giving a presentation or volunteering in some way (which I did not do this year). I'm told that you're supposed to network at conferences. That's one I generally fail at for some reason.

In thinking about how to be a Christian and an introvert-conference-goer, I thought about my current reading in the minor prophets, mostly from the time around the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the exile. A theme that is emphasized is that Judah went into exile because they were faithless and didn't follow God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Those that returned were called by the prophets to faithfulness. So for my part, I will try to be faithful to my responsibility to gain what I can here. That may not include lots of new folks in my "network" but plodding loyalty is a virtue in itself. 

Image source: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1359540

What is an Introvert?

Since "introverted" is in the title of this blog, I want to define and address it.

The basic idea is that introverts prefer low stimulation environments and extraverts prefer higher stimulation environments. Social interactions are one main source of stimulation, so extraverts prefer crowds, making small talk, and other social interaction, while introverts do not. I've also heard these defined in reference to the situations where we gain "energy" or are drained of "energy," particularly in social situations.


I'm sure we've noticed for a long time that some people prefer crowds and some prefer quiet solitude.  Mr. and Mrs. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice are likely two ends of that spectrum. The more formal definitions of extraversion and introversion have also a relatively long history in psychology, and are part of current theories on personality, such as the "Big Five" model.

No one is only an introvert or extravert. We may naturally tend toward one or the other, but introverts can enjoy crowds at times and extraverts can gain from some solitude.

So what does all this have to do with our life as followers of Christ? First, I see nowhere in Scripture where either extraversion or introversion is called a sinful thing. It is simply a difference between us, like hair color, that makes us each unique individuals. Thus, we need not value one over the other.

But neither is an excuse for sin. We can selfishly desire social stimulation or quiet solitude. Like food, they are good for us in their proper measure, but harmful and sinful when indulged and pursued more than God. In the Body of Christ, Extraverts sometimes need to listen rather than amp up the social energy, and introverts need to come out of their shell and engage in fellowship. Both of those may be awkward for the person to work against their ingrained preference, but we are not called to be comfortable in this life, but to follow Christ wherever he leads.

For something more in-depth, the Wikipedia article on Extraversion and Introversion is fairly good.

Here are a few other fun articles:

• Nine Signs You're Really an Introvert
• 6 Illustrations
• Why Socializing Drains Introverts More Than Extroverts

And finally, I recommend this article, The Christian Introvert, from Tim Challies, who is more articulate on all this than I am.

Imperfect Elders

I'm organizing some thoughts on being an introverted elder and am starting with one basic point.

Elders are not perfect.

When a man becomes an elder, that does not automatically confer some extra measure of spiritual strength, wisdom, or love for neighbor. It does not grant supernatural ability to overcome weakness of personality and temperament. Elders remain sinners.

And, elders who are introverts will remain introverts. Being ordained doesn't confer gregariousness. Trust me. But introversion is not necessarily an imperfection. I'll have to pick up on that thought in the future, but for now it's enough to say elders are just as much "under construction" as anyone else. 


Knowing we are not perfect, I first encourage my fellow elders to accept the fact of imperfection but not the state of imperfection. We should strive to be holy (I Peter 1:15-16) to glorify our God and be an example to the flock, our fellow sheep.

Second, I encourage all to pray for your elders. Pray we would grow in those qualities we need to fulfill our office well. Pray we would pursue holiness and have strength to push through our weaknesses.

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