Struggling With Insecurity

Insecurity.

We girls can sure struggle with this, can’t we?

I was fine from about K-4th, then I went through an awkward stage, how about you?

It was fifth grade, weighed more than I care to say, and was first in my circle of friends to get my period. Oh my word.

Sitting in class wearing what felt like a diaper, secured by a belt around my waste; my first taste of insecurity.

No fifth grade girl should have to endure such awkwardness.

Who knew tampons had been around since antiquity? Still,  I think mom was afraid I might damage something internally.

Fast forward a few years, and the awkward stage passes, praise God (although my mom still has pictures, Lord help us).

I moved to Florida.

New school, new friends, new challenges, new insecurities.

I stopped eating lunch in ninth grade.

True, I wanted to be thin like the photo-shopped magazine girls, but I didn’t have an eating disorder.

It was because I dreaded going up to the lunch line.

I feared dropping my tray, being stared at, having my clothing scrutinized.

That bully Insecurity stole my lunch.

Perhaps you have similar childhood memories, or maybe your insecurity stems from harder issues, like abuse or neglect. Maybe it caused a real eating disorder, or some other hurtful byproduct.

Our only hope? Trust God, and ask Him to free us of our insecurity, because insecurity is all about self, and it redirects focus away from God.

We’re not allowing that bully insecurity to steal our joy and purpose, right girls?

And this: We’ve got to stop comparing ourselves to that other girl. You know that girl who seems to have it all together?

Don’t judge a book…

We never know what others are struggling with, and I imagine even the got-it-all together girls struggle with insecurity too.

Let’s not just sit here and take it:

When we come down on ourselves, go to that woe is me place of insecurity, let’s stop and allow the dots to connect.

We can say:

I’m feeling insecure about ___________________ because ____________________________, but God’s Word tells me in Christ I am a new creation; I am fearfully and wonderfully made; I am a child of God; and my security is in Him, who provides all my needs; and I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.

Now say this:

When I allow my insecurity to overwhelm me,  I miss becoming the woman God is calling me to be. Through Christ I can overcome my insecurity, and live out my purpose as the woman He created me to be.

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,  2 Corinthians 3:4-5

We are confident through Christ, and our adequacy is from God.

Insecurity doesn’t come from God.

Let’s throw insecurity out with the trash where it belongs.

Have you struggled with insecurity?

Why Are We Afraid of Change?

We were out of milk. We were out of bread.

A short window of time and a decision to make, I had two options: hit the closest grocery store where I shop less often, or drive farther down the road where I could shop with my eyes closed. Surely the advantage of knowing the exact location of every item would make up for lost travel time, right?

A few minutes after reasoning myself past store #1, I was entering my favorite store #2.  All was according to plan, or was it?

To my surprise, the milk aisle had vanished. Let me rephrase that, the aisle was still there, but the milk wasn’t.

Suddenly, I felt lost in what used to be familiar territory.

So what I’m trying to say is this:

Change is uncomfortable, so we run to the familiar, only to find our familiar has changed. Nothing in this world stays the same forever.

Look forward to change, be excited, and do not fear what could be the greatest growth spurt of your life.

God uses change to help us seek. When we seek, we will find Him.   tweet it

He changes relationships; environments; jobs; ministries…

Whether our change is huge like moving to a new country, or small like moving our milk, one thing never changes: God. He is our constant.

When we face change in the midst of unfamiliar territory, our Unchangeable God holds our right hand.

Trust Him, He knows where the milk went.

You have heard these things; look at them all.Will you not admit them?

“From now on I will tell you of new things,
    of hidden things unknown to you.”  Isaiah 48:6

What changes are you currently experiencing?  How has God caused you to seek Him?

EMERGE~From Invisible to Unstoppable

When I was a little girl, my favorite super-hero power was invisibility. I thought it both adventurous and advantageous to wander around totally undetected, spying on friends, and listening in on conversations. Don’t judge, forgive me I was ten.  Besides the obvious advantages, my favorite benefit of being invisible was protection. I could step out and explore, day or night without fear, because evil couldn’t see me. I’m sure I’m not the only child who dreamed of becoming invisible.

So when did we go from childhood fantasy, to actually believing we’ve acquired the super-hero power of invisibility?

If you are feeling invisible today, I have an important message from God. You’re not.

I have another important message; the only thing that matters, is God sees you.

The God of the Universe sees you. The One true God has many names, and El Roi is one of them.  El Roi, “the strong One who sees me.” Even if we were invisible to everyone else on earth, God sees us, and He is the only One who matters. His plan for us is not to remain unseen and unheard, and here’s why…

I don’t usually do the “word of the year” thing, but God gave me a word this year:

“EMERGE”

What does it mean? Here’s a tidbit from Merriam-Webster:

• move out of or away from something and come into view
• to rise or appear from a hidden or unknown place or condition : to come out into view
• to become manifest :  become known  

Sounds quite the opposite of invisible, doesn’t it? God is calling us to emerge into the light and be the light. It’s time to step out and explore adventurous faith without fear, not because evil can’t see us, but because God can.  We may not be invisible, but we are protected by Him.

Let’s be careful we are not thinking more of ourselves than we ought. We can get locked up in pride when we are focusing on why we aren’t being seen, acknowledged. All we need to know, is God sees us. Did I say that already? No matter, we all need to hear it again. I’m right there in it with you.

Did you know, in the Bible God is referred to as being the invisible God? Satan has devised a plan; a lie he whispers into our ear: we are invisible and invisible means insignificant.  Well, that’s impossible if the word invisible is used to describe God. Can I get an Amen?

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”  Colossians 1:15 (NKJV)

Jesus is the image of the invisible God; and we are made in His image. It’s time to emerge from feeling invisible, to trusting God and becoming unstoppable. Are you ready?

 

 

“We’re going to drown!”

As a young girl growing up in north Jersey, opportunity to see the Atlantic Ocean came maybe once a year.  It was quite a drive to go “down the shore” as we called it.  I have fond memories of those summer vacations; excitement of the first hint of salt air, the caw of seagulls in flight.  There’s just something special about a “beach town.”  However, one summer vacation nearly ended in tragedy.

I must have been eleven or twelve.  My dad taught me to body surf, and I had no fear of the water, loved it.  Unfortunately,  my feelings of fearlessness rapidly changed, as I found myself being pulled farther from the shore.  I remember struggling to tread water, trying to keep my head above the surface.  There was a boy not far from me in the same boat; or rather we wished we were in a boat.  I scanned the beach for the lifeguard, and there he was, paying no attention to the drowning children while investing in his social life.

This was by no means any fault of my parents.  They kept a sharp eye on me, but if you’ve ever heard of the terms rip-tide, rip-current, undertow and the like,you know they can be more quick and deadly than a man-eating shark.  This quiet force sneaks up on you; very subtle until you’re too far gone to help yourself.  Swimming toward shore is useless, pointless, and exhausting.   Thankfully, my dad, who incidentally had been a lifeguard at one time, spotted two bobbing heads in distress.  I saw him dive into the water, and within seconds, he was dragging both of us like a tugboat safely back to dry land.

My earthly father saved two lives that day; and I know my heavenly Father was there too. He always is.  He Is.

How many times in our life have we found ourselves drowning in the middle of an ocean?   Overworked, overcommitment, our plates so full, we’re too tired to scrape them off and wash them?  Family stress, financial stress…you get the picture.  Are we flailing our limbs without a life-preserver, because we swam too far away from the shore? Lost. Discouraged. Exhausted from treading water.  Were we literally dragged away, or did we go voluntarily?

Even the best swimmers grow weary treading water; isn’t it time to walk on it? tweet that

The good news is, well,  the Good News. Hope.  Jesus.  He’s our life preserver; our lifeline.  Salt water up your nose is very unpleasant.  Jesus is the most qualified lifeguard on duty 24-7.  We can call out to Him in our distress, and He will see us safely back to shore.  Call to Him, pray, and have faith.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.  Matthew 8:25-26 (NIV)

Funny, I now live in Florida; just minutes away from the majesty of crashing waves, and miles of beach.  I no longer fear the ocean, for I see God’s glory in its breathtaking magnificence; and I see a girl saved by grace who lived to tell His story.

In Him,

Doris