Something you should know about me; I love people. I really do. I love to people-watch, because I find people to be so extraordinarily beautiful. We are God's creation, afterall. I want to know everything about everybody. Not because I'm nosy; because I'm genuinely interested. I want to know your story. I want to know your experiences; your passions. I want to feel what you feel. But I also experience social anxiety.
This is difficult for me because, even though I have such a desire to know people, talking to people is very hard.
Sometimes, I feel kind of useless as a Christian, because I feel like I should be out in the world, proclaiming God's love to everyone, but approaching people is extremely difficult.
If someone says or does something contrary to God's word, I feel like I should say something. Take a stand. But I freeze.
I want to do so many nice things for so many people, but I am afraid to. Here's a little example:
I don't drive; I take the bus everywhere. Sometimes when I'm sitting on the bus, it starts to get crowded. I really just want to stand up and offer my seat to someone, but I get scared. I panic. I think,
"If I stand up, everyone will look at me. And what if the person I offer my seat to says no? I don't think I can handle that kind of rejection!!"
Now, that may sound silly, but anxiety doesn't care about logic. It doesn't care about reason.
However...
I can listen. I can listen so well, in fact; I can listen with every fiber of my being. Sometimes, a person doesn't want advice. They don't want any words at all. They just want someone to listen. That's all.
And I can do that
This is difficult for me because, even though I have such a desire to know people, talking to people is very hard.
Sometimes, I feel kind of useless as a Christian, because I feel like I should be out in the world, proclaiming God's love to everyone, but approaching people is extremely difficult.
If someone says or does something contrary to God's word, I feel like I should say something. Take a stand. But I freeze.
I want to do so many nice things for so many people, but I am afraid to. Here's a little example:
I don't drive; I take the bus everywhere. Sometimes when I'm sitting on the bus, it starts to get crowded. I really just want to stand up and offer my seat to someone, but I get scared. I panic. I think,
"If I stand up, everyone will look at me. And what if the person I offer my seat to says no? I don't think I can handle that kind of rejection!!"
Now, that may sound silly, but anxiety doesn't care about logic. It doesn't care about reason.
However...
I can listen. I can listen so well, in fact; I can listen with every fiber of my being. Sometimes, a person doesn't want advice. They don't want any words at all. They just want someone to listen. That's all.
And I can do that