BECOMING AN EXTROVERT FOR CHRIST + AN OSTOMY REVERSAL SURGERY UPDATE

 

I'll never forget back in grade school when I was so shy I would even be conscious of my breath. An introvert to the core. And it was an even more interesting dynamic, having been adopted by two incredibly extroverted parents. That old personality type book, "Please Understand Me," sure came in handy back then. And you might have guessed it: I'm an INFP, found in 5% of people, so I can confirm that throughout my life, I have felt a bit different and maybe a bit misunderstood.

But there are amazing things to being an introvert. We are deep-thinkers, so we are less likely to make rash decisions and can be much more grounded. We have an increased sense of compassion because we tend to notice the smaller things in life, including the feelings of others. And I've even found that introverts tend to have a deep ability to love and care for people, as long as it comes from a safe space... yes, I know we are also made up of a lot of homebodies as well.

And while I'm grateful to have many of these qualities, it has made things more difficult when connecting with people, especially in large crowds. Let's just say that the thought of going to an event where I don't know anyone still terrifies me.

So what does one do? We are told to spread the Word of Jesus and tell of His love.

I still think of my Grandmother's time in the nursing home before she passed. She was such a sweet and kind woman and all the nurses would tell my family that even through her painful condition, she would always be pleasant and tell everyone how much she loved Jesus.

This really left an impact on me when I was younger. What a difference she made from her hospital bed, showing love to the nurses and doctors. And verbalizing just how much she loved Jesus and how truly special her relationship was with Him.

I've tried to model this behavior because, as an introvert, it is one of the easiest ways to show Jesus's love by reflecting His love through our actions and our words. These last five months, having gone through two surgeries, I followed my Grandmother's lead and shined for Jesus as much as I could while in that hospital bed.

This time, I met Jaclyn, Michael, Beth and a few other amazing nurses and even the lady who brought my food. We had some real connections, learning about a new boyfriend and trip to Japan, how one woman had recently lost her dog, who was her best friend, as we both cried together. Another was going back to school to pursue his goals as a Nurse Practitioner and how difficult it was to juggle kids and school. I even got some fashion tips, all of them knowing I am going through cancer treatment while showing me so much compassion and care. And me, expressing how grateful I am for all of God's blessings.

They all knew I was a Christian and that my faith in Jesus Christ was what was getting me through it all. While this makes me tear up even writing this, I can confidently say that I am grateful for having cancer if it can do good and help point people to Christ in ways that I might not have been able to if it was all different. I'm honored that God is using me in this way, and I'm up for this calling, even if I have to go through these difficult struggles and be more extroverted at times.

So, how has the recovery been? Amazing. I was released from the hospital not even 48 hours after surgery and I'm healing up nicely. Oh, there is pain. Major pain in my stomach. But I'm moving around much better than the last surgery, and I no longer have an alien (hernia) poking out of my tummy or an ostomy bag.

Oh, and a huge bonus: I can eat anything I want now and was told there is almost no chance of getting a blockage, as there was with the first surgery. So, back to regular cooking... and entertaining very soon!

And the photo above? My husband and I went to a lookout point in our town last week for his birthday and ate donuts while overlooking four southern states, including our own. The view was breathtaking, and you can really see why they are called the Blue Ridge Mountains. Even though the physical and emotional pain of the last few months was really starting to show on my face that day, behind it all is contentment—contentment in Christ.

"That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." -2 Corinthians 12:10