Jeremiah
17:7
But blessed is the man
who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.
I lack self confidence.
For so many years I
considered that to be a flaw; something to overcome. When I couldn't overcome it, I’d dress it up
in worldly success so that people around me wouldn't see how insecure I really
was.
In the last 2 years,
I've let some heartbreaking and life changing circumstances be the
magnifying glass I viewed myself through, increasing my self-doubt and lack of
confidence.
The costumes of success
I had masqueraded in for so many years were suddenly ripped from me and I was
left exposed.
As a result, I pulled
back and found places to hide. My
computer and even this blog have been some favorite retreating spots.
Before long, those
hiding places began to feel like home; a safe place to be.
Problem is, we are not
created to hide but to shine with His light.
Ephesians
2:10 ~For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us
to do
So while I felt safe
hiding out, my soul grew increasingly restless.
Every scripture, every Bible study, every sermon, and even the praise
and worship music I let myself get lost in, was calling me out of hiding.
For
the longest time, my response to this tugging on my soul was this:
“If
I’m meant to step out and accomplish more for God,
then someone will ask
me.
Until then,
I’ll just stay here.”
Of
course, this is exactly what a person lacking self-confidence would do! It’s putting the power into the hands of
people to validate our worth and ability to contribute.
But
God says…
But blessed is the man
who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.
~ Jeremiah 17:7
And then I had one of
those Ah-Ha moments.
“Blessed is the man…..whose
confidence is in God”
One could even go so far
as to say…
“Blessed are those that
lack self confidence
but instead are fully confident in the power and abilities
of God."
For so long I was convinced
that my problem was a need to increase my self-confidence, but what I really
needed to do was lose all sense of self-confidence.
Less of me and more of
God.
Even better…none of me
and all of God.
(but I’m a work in
progress…so I’ll give myself a break and take it one step at a time!)
So no more waiting
around for others to ask me to ‘dance’. I've been asked to the dance already, I just wasn't listening for the
right voice!
But now I’m curious.
Am I the only one,
or does any of this strike
a familiar note with others?
Has anyone else been waiting
for permission from people to step out and shine for God?
If so, what is it that you know God is asking
you to do with full confidence in Him and no confidence in yourself?
I’ll start.
As a writer, blogger and
speaker, I've always watched from the sidelines as other writers / bloggers and
speakers shared their experiences after attending conferences of like minded
writers / bloggers and speakers.
I'd watch the
announcements go out inviting anyone and everyone to come and join them for a
time of education, edification and inspiration.
I’d watch, but I would never respond.
I’d let my lack of
self-confidence fueled by my introverted and shy nature keep me from taking
that step to sign up and go, simply
because I didn't know a soul that was going.
It wasn't that I didn't want to go. In fact, if someone had come
up to me and said "Hey Tami, let's go to this conference
together"...I'd have gone to one years ago.
But this is the year I
decided to stop waiting to be 'asked to dance' by people I don't know and dance
because 'God has asked me to dance'!
Just last week I
surrendered my need for self-confidence, drew upon all the confidence of God,
and signed up for the Declare Blogging Conference.
I don’t know a soul that
is attending, but I've already made some virtual connections after drawing on
that God Confidence to get the nerve to post on the Declare Community Facebook
page
{yes…I stalked the page
for days before I typed a word to let anyone know I was there. Like I said…a work in progress!}
If you are a blogger or
have been thinking about starting a blog, it’s not too late to sign up.
Just CLICK HERE.
Not sure?
CLICK HERE to read more
about the details
CLICK HERE to read about
the session topics
And…
CLICK HERE to read more
about the speakers.
BTW… Mary DeMuth is
a key note this year and it was her ‘tweet’ last week that pushed me over the
edge and got me to act on what I knew God was asking me to step out and
do.
Can’t wait to hear from her!
Now it’s your turn! You could just hide behind the screen, but it
would bless my socks off if you left a comment.
What is it you are doing or are ready to do with all the God Confidence you've been given and with absolutely no self-confidence to get in the way?
Before you go though, I'd like to leave you with one of my signature 'soul food' recipe cards!
CLICK HERE for a printable version
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