I've always loved to collect random articles here and there especially when I feel it was well-written, speaks to me on a different level, or just plain cracks me up when I'm in the middle of my day lookin' for a pick-me-up or something to read while I'm having my daily snack of
mini-Snicker bars carrot and celery sticks.
Sometimes last year I printed up an article/devotion from a great website called
Proverbs 31 Ministries. This site is specifically geared for women and is an awesome resource if you're looking for some encouragement or advice. I can't tell you how many times I've come across certain devotionals that always seem to speak specifically to what I may be going through in that moment, in that day, or in that season.
The printout was buried beneath a pile of a paperwork on my desk and as I skimmed it, I was reminded of why it was a "keeper" kind of article, especially for us women. So I thought I'd share it with you.
Enjoy and Happy Monday!
How To Stop Trashing Yourself
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be
richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of
God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV)
One
night I was cleaning our kitchen and found this little rubber thingy on our
countertop. It wasn't until after I threw it away that I realized it was the
power button for our TV remote control. As I dug through the trash to find it,
I regretted how quickly I'd thrown it away.
Then,
as I reached to pull it out, I sensed God showing me that's how easily I throw
away my confidence—without recognizing it.
It's
usually very subtle. Sometimes I'll be thinking about something I want to do or
sense God calling me to, and a feeling of uncertainty comes over me and whispers
to my heart, You can't do that. You're not good enough. Out of the blue, I'll just get that awful, insecure
feeling.
Too
many times in the past I've gone along with it, tossing my confidence into the
trash without even thinking.
For
years, I didn't tell anyone about my lack of confidence because I figured if I
told them all the reasons I doubted myself, they'd see my flaws and agree with
me. Honestly, I was convinced I was the only one who struggled with doubt.
However,
I didn't call it doubt.
Maybe
you don't either. Sometimes I called it worry—worry that I was going to
disappoint someone, worry that I might make a mistake and get criticized for
it, worry that I might start something but not be able to finish.
Other
times I'd call it fear—fear that I wouldn't measure up, fear that I'd look
stupid, fear that I'd look prideful thinking I could do something special for
God. What I've realized over the past several years is that these feelings may
end up as fear or worry, but their source is self-doubt.
What
about you? Do you ever question your worth as a woman? How often do you agree
with the whispers of self-doubt and throw away confidence that should be yours
as a child of God?
I've
learned to ask God to show me when I'm tempted to trash myself and then depend
on Him to help me trash my insecurities instead.
•
When self-doubt whispers, "I can't do that. I'm going to fail and look
foolish." Trash that lie and hold onto this truth: "The
Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6, NIV 1984)
•
When self-doubt whispers, "I'll never change." Trash that lie and
hold onto this truth: "For I am confident of
this very thing, that He who began a good work in [me] will perfect it until
the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6,
NASB)
•
When self-doubt whispers, "This is too hard for me. I don't have what it
takes to..." Trash that lie and hold onto this truth: "No, in all these things [I am] more than a
[conqueror] through him who loved [me]." (Romans 8:37, NIV)
Dear Lord, I want to become a woman with a confident
heart in Christ. Will You help me recognize when I trash myself, and remind me
to trash my insecurities instead? I want to persevere in Your truth so that
when I have done Your will, I will receive what You have promised. When doubt
or insecurity tell me I can't do something, I will remember that all things are
possible to her who believes. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
