The Secret Richness of an Introverted Life - Why Loving a Quiet Life Is Not a Mistake

After my recent video about wanting to be home, I received so many wonderful comments from people saying, I thought I was the only one. Apparently, there are quite a few of us who genuinely love being home. And it's not because we dislike people, or because we're lonely, like why would that be? Not because we're afraid of life, but because home is where we feel most ourselves. And that got me to thinking about something I've been reflecting on basically for years, and that is the richness of an introverted life. Hi, I'm Wendy. I'm an artist, and I'm an author, and I love being at home, and I always have. But you know, when I was younger, I sometimes felt there was maybe something wrong with me, or that needed fixing. The world seemed to celebrate people who are outgoing, constantly busy, and always surrounded by others. The most social person was admired, and the busiest person was admired, and the person with the fullest calendar was admired. And because of that, it was easy to assume that if you preferred a quieter life, you were somehow missing out, or perhaps not quite measuring up. But now, at this stage in my life, I see things very differently. I've come to realize that a quiet life can be an extraordinarily rich life. It's not empty. It's just full of things that go unnoticed. Things like beauty, and reflection, and creativity, and peace, and gratitude, and meaningful relationships, and perhaps most importantly, contentment. One of the things I've learned over the years is that many introverts spend far too much time trying to become extroverts. We admire people who seem energized by crowds. We wish we could be a social butterfly. We wish we enjoyed constant activity. We wonder why a busy weekend leaves us feeling exhausted, while other people seem completely energized by it. And sometimes we feel guilty for wanting what appears to be such a simple thing. A peaceful day at home. A quiet afternoon. A little space to think. Room to breathe. And what if there's nothing wrong with that? What if the desire for quiet is not a flaw? What if it's simply part of how God made you? I have often thought about Psalm 139, where David writes that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are made to be who we are. Not accidentally made. We're wonderfully made. God is not surprised by our personalities. He's not surprised by the way we recharge. He's not surprised by the things that bring us joy. In fact, I think he loves that, because he loves it when we're most who we are. Some people flourish in crowds. Some people won't go near them. Some flourish in quieter places. Some people go nuts if it's too quiet. Some thrive on constant activity, and some of us are just drained by it. These others, being people like me, thrive when life has a slower rhythm. Neither is better. Neither is more spiritual. Neither is more valuable. They're just simply different. Different ways that God has designed human beings. I think many of us spent years trying to become someone else before finally discovering that we were never intended to be someone else at all. We were intended to become the best version of who God created us to be. When I read the Gospels, one thing that always stands out to me is that Jesus himself regularly withdrew from the crowds. People needed him everywhere. There were endless demands. There were always people to heal, people to teach, more needs to meet. And yet, again and again, Scripture tells us that he withdrew to lonely places and prayed. He stepped away. He sought the quiet. He sought solitude. He sought time with his Father. I've always found that so comforting, because sometimes those of us who love quiet can feel guilty about it, as though wanting peace means we don't care enough about other people. But perhaps God designed some of us to encounter him most deeply in the quiet places. Perhaps the longing for peace, beauty, and reflection is not something we need to overcome. Perhaps it's something we need to appreciate. It's a gift rather than a flaw. I think one reason introverts often love being home is because home allows us to notice things. We notice the sunlight moving across a room, which is why I'm starting to paint more pictures like that. We notice flowers blooming in the garden. We notice birds at the theater. I have a hummingbird feeder outside my office studio window. Every time I look at my computer, sometimes there's a little flash of a little green and red bird that comes to feed at the feeder. We notice the way a lamp glows in a dark afternoon. We notice beauty in ordinary moments. And the older I get, the more I realize that much of life's happiness comes from noticing. Noticing what's already here, noticing what we already have, and noticing the blessings that surround us every day. I think that pleases God a lot. Many of us spend our lives searching for extraordinary experiences while overlooking the beauty of ordinary ones. But I have to say, I like both. Yet some of my happiest moments have been incredibly simple. A cup of tea in the morning, a book in my favorite chair. I like working on a painting, which you already know I love. Watching the rain outside the window. And where I live, it rains frequently, so I'm quite used to that. Having a quiet conversation with someone I love. Something deeper, rather than small talk and chit-chat. It doesn't have to be dramatic, and it certainly might not be exciting by the world's standards, yet it can be deeply satisfying. And I think introverts are often especially gifted by creating homes that nourish the soul. Not necessarily expensive or big homes. Nothing fancy. It's not perfect. Just homes that feel comfortable and welcoming and peaceful. Homes that support the life we actually want to live. And I've also noticed that many people decorate for guests, but forget to decorate for themselves. We save the beautiful dishes. I actually don't. I try to use the good stuff. We save the nice candles. I do do that sometimes. We save the special things, and we worry about what visitors will think. Which even happens if you hardly ever have any. I do not like entertaining, and I really don't invite people into my home, unless they're very close to me. And I know that they have no judgment over anything in my home, or how I live. If you're decorating for someone else, it's easy to forget that we're the ones living there every day. What if we make our homes beautiful for ourselves? And what if we choose artwork that made us smile every time we walked past it? One little story. I was contacted by a person that I don't know a few months back, and she said she had bought a painting from me in 1986. And she was getting quite a bit older, and she was starting to, I think she was moving to someplace smaller, or into some kind of care. And she wondered if she could send my painting back to me. I thought, why don't you give it to your family, or someone like that. But maybe she didn't have any. She didn't tell me. Anyway, it came in the mail this week. And it was so amazing, because when I opened the package, I didn't know what painting it was. And believe me, I don't remember what I painted in 1986. It felt like Christmas opening that gift. And when I set it up, it's like, I love this painting all over again. And not much has changed about my style, and about what I love. So thinking about artwork, what if we chose artwork that makes us smile every time we walk past it? Which is what she told me. She had it hanging in her bedroom, and she loved looking at it. What if we arranged a favorite chair beside a window because we enjoy sitting there? What if we bought flowers simply because they delighted us? What if we used our favorite teacup on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon? I do that all the time. And I have lots of ones that are my favorite. In fact, I only buy ones that are my favorite. And I've gotten rid of a lot of things that aren't. What if we stopped waiting for special occasions, began creating small moments of beauty in everyday life? Truth is, our daily lives are our lives. Not the vacations, not the holidays, not the special events. The ordinary days are where we actually live. And those ordinary days deserve beauty. As I've grown older, I've become convinced that creating a peaceful home is not an indulgence. It's stewardship. The environment we live in affects us. It affects your mood. It affects our creativity. It affects our relationships. It affects our spiritual life. I don't mean our homes need to be magazine-worthy. Far from it. But I do think, as human beings, we need places where our souls can settle, like that corner for reading and a place for prayer, a table for painting, a garden bench, a comfortable chair, a window with a pleasant view. These small things invite us to slow down. Small things that remind us that we're not machines. The world constantly pushes us toward more. More activity, more consumption, more noise, more busyness. Buy more, buy more. You're missing out. Yet God invites us toward something very different. The Bible says, I think many of us know this verse by heart. But perhaps we don't always appreciate what a gift it is. Stillness is increasingly rare. And quietness is increasingly rare. And yet they're often the very things our hearts need most. One of the greatest blessings of an introvert life is that we often discover joys in things that cost very little. A library book, a walk, a sketchbook, fresh bread, music, birdsong, prayer, meaningful conversation, something beautiful. These things don't require wealth. They require attention. And perhaps that's why so many introverts eventually become deeply content people, because we learn to enjoy what's already present. I think contentment is one of the most underrated virtues in our culture, because we're constantly encouraged to want more, as I've already mentioned, to do more, be more, achieve more. But the Bible tells us something different. In fact, it doesn't really tell us to do that. The Apostle Paul said that he had learned the secret of being content. He learned it, which suggests contentment doesn't necessarily come naturally. It has to be cultivated and practiced, and it grows slowly over time. I think a quiet life provides fertile soil for that growth, because when life slows down, we begin to recognize how much we already have. We begin to appreciate simple pleasures, and begin to understand that abundance and busyness are not the same thing. A person can be very busy and still feel empty, for example. Or you can live quietly and feel rich, rich in gratitude, rich in relationships, rich in purpose, in peace. As I've gotten older, I find myself less interested in impressing people, and more interested in enjoying the life God has given me. I've stopped striving, and that may be one of the gifts of aging. We finally stop trying to perform. We stop apologizing for who we are. We stop trying to fit ourselves into someone else's definition of a successful life, and we begin embracing the life that genuinely fits us. For some of us, that includes quiet mornings. It might mean creative projects. A lot of you have said you love to create your art, or your crafts, that doing something creative is really meaningful. For others, it can mean close friendships, or just a comfortable home. Someone came to my house once, and they said, I love being in your house. It feels so homey and comfortable. That kind of life can mean a slower pace, or a deeper faith, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, there's something really special and really beautiful about it. So, if you've ever felt guilty for loving being at home, if you've ever felt like there's something wrong with you for wanting more peace, if you've ever wondered if you're missing out because you're not constantly on the go, I hope you'll remember this. God did not make a mistake when he made you. He knew exactly what he was doing. The qualities that make you different may be the very qualities that allow you to notice beauty, nurture relationships, create welcoming spaces, appreciate simple pleasures, and experience his presence in quiet ways. Your introversion is not something you need to apologize for. It's part of who you are. When embraced with gratitude, it can become one of the greatest sources of richness in your life. I'd love to hear from you in the comments. What is one simple thing about your quiet life that brings you joy? Please subscribe to my channel, and click the little bell, and click the like button, because that helps my channel. And until next time, take care, enjoy the beauty of being exactly who God created you to be, and I'll see you next time.