Embracing Yellow.

I love to connect with people.

If I didn't know this before, I've definitely found it true in the last few days I've been at Calvin as Barnabas. Loving people by knowing their name, asking how their day is and chatting with them over coffee (wow, this sounds like a mentor I know!) just brings such indescribable joy to my heart.

I say that I'm embracing "Yellow" because from the Discovery profile, Yellow extrovert came out on top. I never really took seriously the fact that I was an extrovert because I somehow assumed that it meant that I had to enjoy being in charge of large groups of people and rambunctious parties. I do, but only for about an hour. Then I'm ready to go.

But when I really thought about it, and someone (Nord?) pointed out that being an extrovert means that you "charge your batteries" through connections with people, examples started popping up that hit me square on. If I'm alone too long, I need companionship. I just need to talk to somebody to process what I'm saying --or to write it out (as Nord also said, extroverts say what they're thinking before they realize they're thinking it. Introverts think about what they'll say before they say it. The way Nord said it was great, with motions and demonstrating, but that's hard to reproduce here.)

For instance, meeting with Heidi always gets me feeling my best. Just now I had a conversation with a pretty mature freshman, and that also got me feeling good. Whenever I connect with someone by saying hello-by name- on the paths, seeing their faces light up sends chills up my spine and it's so rewarding and enriching. I was probably walking around a foot off the ground today because I was so filled with joy of being with people.

I think I'm glad to be back at Calvin. Can you tell?

I'm not sure why I was so self-conscious before. But that must be it-- I was self-conscious. Maybe experiences in high school conditioned me to hold back, but now I'm finding that people really don't have (significant) pre-disposed opinions about me, but they're simply thrilled that I know who they are and that I take an interest in their life. It's incredibly humbling to realize that my life can impact others in that way. Wow. What a responsibility.

I'm trying to take this day by day, as simply as I can. I don't want to expect myself to feel this way all the time, because I know I'll burn out. (It'll be too much "red" in me if I go for that, if anyone reading this understands the colors I'm referring to) Yet to enjoy this is truly to en-JOY this. What a concept. To "en"- Joy this is to incorporate simple joys of smiles and hellos to the pure optimism of life. I just looked up the root word of "enjoy" and it actually means to GIVE joy. That's even more profound! To enjoy my life means much more than taking pleasure in what I'm doing. To ENJOY my life is to Give Joy! That's pretty much how it works, anyway!

ENJOY: ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French enjoier ‘give joy to’ or enjoïr ‘enjoy,’ both based on Latin gaudere ‘rejoice.’


Finally (before I start embracing the Blue side of me and get back to studying and organizing) I'd like to add that during the past week, I've done a lot of indirect and direct self-reflecting, both through Barnabas training and the first week of the job, through the questions people ask me. And the more I think about my goals for my life, the more I'm in love with God and what He's doing in my life. It's so amazing, I can hardly believe it's my life.

It also means that I can't wait to be a teacher, and that I'm thinking seminary is in the future more than ever. I just love ministry, and learning, too much to ignore that aspect. Heck, I even love giving speeches. Oral Rhetoric is going to be fun for me.


God is good, He is continually faithful, and holy goodness, is He always surprising me!


Revelation 19 Lyrics by Jeffery LaValley >> I love it because it's so simple, yet so beautiful.

Hallelujah, salvation, and glory
Honor and power unto the Lord our God
For the Lord our God is almighty
The Lord our God is omnipotent
The Lord our God, He is wonderful

group 1:
All praises be to the King of Kings
And the Lord of Lords
He is wonderful

group 2:
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
He is wonderful

group 3:
Hallelujah, salvation, and glory
Honor and power
He is wonderful






Enjoy.
Betsy