II Timothy 1: 7 in the KJV says, “God has not given us a spirit
of fear”…
II Timothy 1:7 in the NAS says, “God has not given us a spirit of
timidity”…
So shyness is not a character trait from the Lord. Timidity is
fear.
So now what? Let’s read the rest of the verse.
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of
power, of love and self-discipline.”
What does God give us that we want our children to live by—His Spirit. His Spirit gives us power, love and self-discipline.
What is power?
God’s power works like my hairdryer. By itself it is not very
powerful, but once I plug it into a power source it is able to do what it was created to do.
Doing something in God’s power verses my own strength is like the difference between a hand saw and a power saw. In my own strength I may get it done, but afterwards I am exhausted and have only accomplished a small amount.
What is love?
Well, love is not selfish, according to I Corinthians 13. When we
are feeling shy we tend to only be thinking about ourselves. Our own feelings are what we yield to. If we love, we will think of the other person and what their needs are. By focusing on the other person and not ourselves, we can overcome shyness with love.
What is self-discipline?
Self-discipline is denying ourselves and not living by how we feel. Is self-discipline easy? No.
Just like exercise, school work, or getting out of bed in the morning, self-discipline is needed to accomplish the necessities of life. God has given us His Spirit to help us be self-disciplined and do what is needed and right. We can choose to not be shy; rather we can discipline ourselves to love others.