Why We Are All So Different

Last month Christianity Today ran an interesting article about the different ways an introvert and extrovert process information. They included the following pictures, which explain why we are all so different. Don’t. worry about the medical terms here. Simply read the descriptions.

The whole point to this story is to remind us that we act different because we are different. We have all been created as different individuals, not just with different gifts, but with different ways of processing information and different ways of looking at the world.

Extroverts are not loud and obnoxious and introverts timid and shy. That describes a person’s temperament. What this study is trying to demonstrate is that we all have different ways of reacting to this world. And one way is not “right” and the other “wrong”. It is simply the way we have been fearfully and wonderfully made. 

According to this study, introverts are easily stimulated and extroverts are not. That’s why an extrovert thrives in an environment that would drive an introvert bonkers. But see an introvert is able to work in an environment that would put an extrovert to sleep. And that’s the beauty in all of this. It’s almost as if God was at work creating us to be different for a specific reason.

Paul seems to speak about our unique personalities and temperaments in 1 Corinthians 12:18 when he says, “God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body just as He has desired”. The point here is that God gifts each believer for the work of the Kingdom, but how that work is manifested is unique in each individual. Someone might have the gift of teaching, but based upon their personality they would be more comfortable teaching a small group rather than lecturing before a large class. It is the same with those serving in leadership. Some individuals are quite stimulated by the discussion that takes place around a table while others seem distant and withdrawn from the conversation. The extroverts keep the meeting moving forward. The introvert is listening and processing the discussion, looking for the best possible solution – which they may not discover until the next day. Neither individual is greater, they both are simply serving according to their giftedness.

It is important for us to keep in mind that the introvert/extrovert descriptions in this article are brackets. Introvert and extrovert are extremes along a continuum. Everyone falls somewhere in between these two bookends. Many introverts are excellent public speakers, and many extroverts need time alone to recharge. So please keep in mind that there is no right or wrong personality. Introverts do not need to “come out of their shell”, and extroverts don’t need to “chill out”. Each person needs to understand how God created them and serve Him with their own unique personality.

Did you discover something about yourself in this research? I know I did. It really helped me understand who I am and why I react to things the way I do. And you and me, we are not broken people who need fixing. Oh, we might be trying to be someone we are not, but we are not broken. We have been created by God for a purpose and a reason.

Pastor Greg