Are you an introvert who takes every little word to heart – analyzing and overthinking everything you hear? Would you consider yourself a philosophical, deep thinker? Are you someone whose love language is primarily words of affirmation? If your love language consists of words of affirmation, this means that your tendency to give and receive love is through words, encouraging words.
If you said yes to one of the questions above, I urge you to keep reading.
Let’s begin by stating that living life as a philosophical-thinking, word analyst is never a bad thing. There are many positives that come from introverts, deep-thinkers and those who take words to heart. I know it’s hard to believe this notion considering we live in a society where being extroverted is the goal; however, introverts bring depth, creativity and heart to any situation. Introverts and deep-thinkers also have the tendency to carefully put together their thoughts before they become words because they know how easy it is to be affected by negative words (since we’re already a little sensitive to begin with).
However, high levels of sensitivity are not one of our better traits. Generally speaking, this is how the cycle goes: you really listen to someone and what they’re saying, you analyze their words, you then overthink their words, you become overly sensitive to what he or she just said and you go back to overthinking. The never ending cycle is unhealthy, to say the least. An introvert or a deep-thinker takes every little word that is said and internalizes it and makes it into something greater than what it should’ve been.
One night after internalizing a set of words, I went up to my room and Googled “Bible verses that will help with anger and bitterness.” I then came across this scripture in Proverbs 15:
“In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will preserve them (v.3)… The simple believes every word, but the prudent (practical) considers well his steps. A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident. A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and a man of wicked intentions is hated. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. (v.15-18)”
These verses in Proverbs 15 changed my entire perspective on everything I ever knew about over-analyzing, or in my head just analyzing words.
Here was my breakthrough: I don’t have to take into account every little word that someone says. Just because someone says something doesn’t make what they’re saying true. I must be confident enough in myself, my beliefs and my opinions to drown out the noise of folly or foolishness.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, that doesn’t mean that what they’re saying is valid. Maybe you figured this out a long time ago, but for me, it took reading Proverbs 15 to finally realize that the simple-minded inherit foolishness, but the practical are crowned with knowledge. Besides, I’m an introvert. I know that I am not simple-minded!
