There is Nothing Humble About Staying Small
A Letter to Introverts
Some years ago, I believed that to be humble, I needed to play small. I thought hiding my light and settling for little achievements were the hallmarks of a great Christian. But now, I see how deeply my thinking was conditioned by society.
I was told that succeeding academically was enough and that staying out of the spotlight was the right thing to do. This belief made me shy away from fame and despise social media — something I still struggle with today.
But even as I tried to keep a low profile and underachieve, the Holy Spirit kept pushing me into the public eye, revealing my gifts.
I will never forget my first sermon in secondary school. I had never wanted to preach, but my Chaplain — a man who never took “no” for an answer — insisted. On that fateful day, I finally stood before my peers. The room fell silent, and I delivered my message. By the end, there was applause and a standing ovation from both teachers and students.
I felt like sinking into the ground.
To me, it felt wrong for them to clap for me. The glory is for Jesus. Their applause felt misplaced — too much attention on me. For an entire week, I cringed as teachers and students praised me. They said I had a powerful “voice for nations.” Others marvelled at my wisdom at such a young age. I was only 13 or 14.
I should have been happy; instead, I felt like I was robbing God of His glory. It wasn’t the kind of Christian I wanted to be. This mentality was fuelled by my introversion, which seemed odd because I was also a great public speaker and debater in school.
After that, I tried to stay low-key, turning down anything that required me to step out or enter the limelight. But the Holy Spirit was relentless. He knew I wasn’t meant to stay in the shadows.
I maintained this stance throughout university, never showing my talents to their fullest potential. However, during my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), I had an encounter with the Lord through the ministry of AJS & Priscilla Shirer that transformed my mindset.
My God, how ignorant I had been!
God had been trying to use me for His glory all along. There was nothing humble about hiding my gifts and talents. There was nothing humble about calling myself an introvert. That was never who I was. There was nothing humble about staying in the dark — I am a light!
The scripture says, “You are a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.”
This realization led to a series of events that established me as God’s influencer, enabled me to start a Kingdom-driven business, and helped me build a Kingdom-focused community. These are all parts of my life’s assignment.
To the Believer Who Identifies as an Introvert:
You are not an introvert. That is a label society uses to explain a supposed social defect, but you are not a defect. You are God’s masterpiece.
Do not label or limit yourself. When you do, you restrict what God can do in you and through you. You silence His voice. He is saying so much to you, but all you hear is “introvert,” “shy,” “timid,” "quiet," “small.”
But He is saying “nations,” “capacity,” “masterpiece,” “my chosen,” “my mouthpiece.”
Oh, if only you would shut out the voice of smallness and tear off the label of “introverted,” you would see as far as God is showing you.
I wrote this for you. This is your cue to rise from the ashes of small-mindedness and be great!
To Those Who, Like Me, Chose to Settle:
Stop settling for smallness because it’s easy, or because you think a quiet life is humbling.
It’s not. Everyone can’t be in the public eye in the same way, but if that is the capacity that brings God the highest glory, who are we to decline?
Do not fight what God is already doing. We are God’s expression on earth, meant to reflect His boldness and audacity.
God instructed, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
When we choose smallness, we cannot influence the systems of this world according to His word. God has called us to occupy every mountain of influence — media, government, energy, and finance. We must build the capacity to exercise influence because the world listens to those who have it.
Believers must populate culture and reshape it with the Word of God. This is His call to you.
I hope to hear something different about you after you’ve read this.
God bless you.
Since you enjoyed reading this, you will love this:
A Heartfelt Letter to Believers in the Marketplace
Balancing Work and Faith
thepurplewriter.medium.com
I recommend the following resources
At the end of every month, I randomly answer questions on Christian living, career, business, mental health, personal growth, and relationships. Have a question in any these areas? Please fill out the form.
If you found this post valuable, show your support by:
- Clap as much as you can to boost my visibility globally (50x)
- Donate less than $1 towards my new book
- Leave a comment and share it with friends on social media
- Connect with me on my social platforms
- Subscribe (to get my stories first)
