Tackling Self-Doubt

If, like me, you’ve got a few personal “dents in the fender” delivered to you by life, you probably get it when I say it can be hard sometimes to believe in yourself.  When we’re young, the majority of us start off with a sense of hope, and a sense of possibilities in what life can be.  As we get out in life’s trenches, that hopefulness can fade and morph into something else entirely.  Fear of both failure and success, shame, lack of worth, and the judgement of others can grab you by the jugular and refuse to let go. 

One thing that has always touched me about God is His incredible compassion for the wounded and hurting.  Consider the following:

• He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  (Psalm 34:18)
• He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)
• Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along.  If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter.  He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, or aching groans.  He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God.  That's why we can be so sure that every detail of our leave of love for God is worked into something good. (Romans 8:26-7).

God is always there for me.  When I get caught up in defining myself by my failures, Jesus is right there reminding me that His grace and forgiveness are sufficient for me.  When I feel the tendrils of fear wrapping around my heart getting ready to squeeze, God reminds me He is in control, and nothing can separate me from Him and His path for me.  When I forget my many blessings, He has a way of bringing them back in front of me.  And He does this for me again and again. 

God loves you and He wants the best for you (His version of best, not yours)!  He is able to work through the ugly and create something healing and beautiful.  He is able to take pain and turn it into a hope that runs even deeper.  He can take our fears and our weaknesses and turn them into confident strengths.  But that’s God—His heart is to always love you no matter what.

So, if you catch yourself feeling faithless in what God can do through you, remember: it doesn’t depend on you.  God is faithful to us even when we are faithless to Him (2 Tim.2:13).  Our job isn’t to be perfect; our job is to continually reach toward Christ and let Him strengthen us so He can move us forward.

For Further Thought:  What is one way you can allow negativity to zap your strength?  The next time that happens, turn it over to God through prayer.  I promise you over time you will notice the difference!