Growing up, I was that kid. The one who was known for being extremely shy. Talking to people and in front of people always made me nervous and uncomfortable. I couldn't tell you how many times I heard the words "You're so quiet!" or "Why are you so shy?" Being shy became my label. It was never a label I wanted; in fact, I battled with myself about this until very recently. My shyness began to affect not only my social life but also my spiritual life as well. I began to wonder, why did God make me shy? How am I supposed to share Him with others if it makes me nervous to talk to other people? One day, I came across a verse that really spoke to me.
"For you created me in my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully well."
-Psalm 139:13-14
He knew me before I was even born. He formed me to be exactly the way I am. Why am I questioning myself when God made me that way? If there's one thing I've learned in my walk with God, it's that He doesn't make mistakes, and everything He does is always for our good and for His glory! What if there is another shy person out there who does not know God? I can be that person who tells them about God. God can use me to reach people that other people can't.
And God can use you too. The good news is that God made you for a purpose. Are you an ex-Alcoholic? You can be that person who helps those who struggle with alcohol by showing them that God still loves them. Are you adopted? God can use you to witness to those who struggle with feeling unwanted. Did you struggle with depression? God can use you to be there for those who feel the same way, and you can tell them, "Hey, it gets better." The list goes on and on.
The point is, you are not useless. 1 Corinthians 12:12 says, "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ." Everyone on this earth is different, but we all have one thing in common- Jesus Christ. Imagine all believers as a body of Christ. Some of us are arms, some of us are ears, eyes, mouths etc. But if we were all ears, how would we speak? If we were all eyes, how could we walk? We can be effective witnesses for God because we are all different, and we can put our differences together to form one body of Christ, working together to spread the Gospel. And I think that is pretty amazing. So I am not ashamed to be shy because I know God made me that way for a purpose. He will use us for the kingdom of God. But we just have to let Him.
