Before we went on the Start book tour, the guy running it called my wife and asked her what he needed to know about me.
She said, “Jon is an introvert.”
And she’s right. Though my career calls for furious bouts of extroverted action, deep down, I’m an introvert.
I like to be alone.
I like to be quiet.
I like solitude.
But sometimes, that feels like failure.
You run into Christians who are having big, loud, on fire walks with God. You end up thinking maybe your season of quiet is because God is disappointed at you. Maybe you failed somehow. Maybe the silence is punishment.
But then you read the Bible.
Then you realize that often solitude is the doorway to an adventure.
Look at Moses, 40 years of quiet and obscurity before the burning bush.
Look at Joseph, years spent in prison before he ran Egypt.
Look at David, years spent in the fields fighting bears before he fought his giant.
Look at Paul. Talk about solitude, he was literally struck blind and isolated in a way we can’t understand.
Look at Jesus, the first thing that happens to him after being baptized is 40 days in the desert alone.
Is solitude always fun? Nope. Even if your an introvert it can be difficult, but don’t assume it’s punishment.
It just might be an invitation.
