On Wednesday I picked up a friend from SeaTac airport.  There were some delays, and I waited about three hours in the international baggage claim area with nothing to do.  So I watched others watching for their friends and family.  They all had the same “waiting” expression—wrapped in thought, their faces somewhat grim but really just concentrating.  But as soon as whoever they were waiting for appeared, they would snap to life.  Instantly they became whoever they were in relation to that person—friend, parent, etc.Seeing such an abrupt change made me wonder: when are we most truly ourselves and most alive?  When we are alone, un-selfconscious, and not performing for anyone?  Or when we are relating to others? 

When I did DTS one of the requirements was to take this personality test, so that we could understand ourselves and our teammates better before we went on our two-month mission trip.  The main topic of conversation for awhile was about who was an extrovert and who was an introvert.  I understood myself a bit better after taking the test (I’m an ISFJ).  As an introvert, I need time alone in order to collect my thoughts, and find inspiration for living.  But at the same time my life would erode without people.  Like anyone, I crave community and friendship.  A few of us at DTS also wondered whether Jesus was an extrovert or an introvert.  There is evidence for both.  He was constantly with his disciples and others, yet he needed time alone and spent long hours in solitary prayer.  So, is it better to be an extrovert or an introvert?  American culture says extrovert, but I don’t think that’s the answer. 

 It is clear from Scripture that we need friends and community to encourage us.  Likewise, regardless of our personality, He asks us to take a little time away from people and pray.  Ironically, we are relating to Him when we do that.  Ultimately, I think that while some of us need a little alone time and some of us need socializing all the time, the ultimate answer to our needs is simply God.  

 Someone else has said what I’m trying to say much more eloquently: 

One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair….Let him who cannot be alone beware of community.  Let him who is not in community beware of being alone….One who returns to the Christian family fellowship after fighting the battle of the day brings with him the blessing of his aloneness, but he himself receives anew the blessing of the fellowship….But the strength of aloneness and the strength of the fellowship is solely the strength of the Word of God…(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

It was with a sense of relief and satisfaction that I fell asleep to the dramatic sounds of the thunderstorm and subsequent downpour a couple nights ago.  I can’t wait for autumn!  I love it so much!  It’s always been my favorite.  While normal people feel blue when it rains, I get more cheerful the darker and stormier it is.  I also love autumn because it signifies a return to routine, regularity, and structure.  Back to school, back to learning, new beginnings.  I love fall clothes, fall food, the hint of holidays to come.  And I’m REALLY excited for the holidays to come, because last Christmas I was in Thailand in sweltering heat missing my family.  It should never feel like summer on Christmas.  So, send in the swirling leaves, Gap sweaters, and pumpkin pie please!