I would like to say I'm a confident woman.
I love my family and they love me back.
I take care of my body and feel good about the way it looks.
I'm thrilled that I have the opportunity to stay home with my young children.
I feel empowered by my relationships and balanced in my activities.
BUT
Every once in a while Satan threatens the balance in my life. Thoughts creep in that make me doubt all the building blocks that settled that confident foundation.
"You should do that instead, that was stupid."
"Why aren't you more ________________."
"Great, now another problem to deal with and I just don't have the energy."
These thoughts snowball and threaten to consume my free time. Then my patience flies out the door. My words are less and less sweet. My forehead develops a wrinkle or three that just won't go away and mean mommy takes over. This mom is loud, annoyed, and all the sudden the kids can't do anything right. I don't like mean mommy.
The funny thing is I have the ability to make mean mommy go away, but sometimes I don't. Why wouldn't I do everything to make sure she stays away!?
I don't know.
Because the very thing that takes her away is the VERY thing I should be doing anyway, turning to Christ.
That's where my confidence is found.
Not in anything I am or do or say, but because of what Christ does for me.
More time focused on Christ means less time focused on what could be or should have been.
Mean mommy is not even an option when my trust is in the Lord and I'm having open conversations with Him. "More of you, less of me" is a prayer that I often, and I mean often, pray during the every day that calms any fears and changes my direction.
Need extra patience to get through the million and one questions that two boys ask every. single. day? Ask Jesus for that and give thanks that I have two little boys to ask me questions.
Worried that we're not being stewardly with money? Ask Jesus for direction and assurance in spending matters and give thanks that we have money to spend.
Overwhelmed by the amount of laundry piled in the basement? Ask Jesus for perspective and give thanks we have more than enough clothes to get through every week.
I am so blessed beyond measure. It's when I forget to give thanks and turn the attention to myself when I get in trouble. My foundation of confidence has nothing to do with me. It starts with Christ and builds from there.
Yes, it includes talking kindly to myself. It involves grace. It involves heart matters instead of what's on my head. It involves making good decisions about what goes in my body and comes out of my mouth. It involves speaking love and keeping my emotions (can't blame hormones) in check.
Sometimes those things seem like a mountain that I'm not able to step foot on, but that's when I'm trying to do life on my own. It's hard, I'm crabby, and I'm going to go nowhere. However, when I just shift my focus to Christ, we're able to scale that mountain and I'm soaring like an eagle because of everything that we can accomplish together.
Maybe you feel that way too. Be encouraged, friends, with Christ all things are possible. Turn to Him and give him your insecurities in exchange for confidence.
I love my family and they love me back.
I take care of my body and feel good about the way it looks.
I'm thrilled that I have the opportunity to stay home with my young children.
I feel empowered by my relationships and balanced in my activities.
BUT
Every once in a while Satan threatens the balance in my life. Thoughts creep in that make me doubt all the building blocks that settled that confident foundation.
"You should do that instead, that was stupid."
"Why aren't you more ________________."
"Great, now another problem to deal with and I just don't have the energy."
These thoughts snowball and threaten to consume my free time. Then my patience flies out the door. My words are less and less sweet. My forehead develops a wrinkle or three that just won't go away and mean mommy takes over. This mom is loud, annoyed, and all the sudden the kids can't do anything right. I don't like mean mommy.
The funny thing is I have the ability to make mean mommy go away, but sometimes I don't. Why wouldn't I do everything to make sure she stays away!?
I don't know.
Because the very thing that takes her away is the VERY thing I should be doing anyway, turning to Christ.
That's where my confidence is found.
Not in anything I am or do or say, but because of what Christ does for me.
More time focused on Christ means less time focused on what could be or should have been.
Mean mommy is not even an option when my trust is in the Lord and I'm having open conversations with Him. "More of you, less of me" is a prayer that I often, and I mean often, pray during the every day that calms any fears and changes my direction.
Need extra patience to get through the million and one questions that two boys ask every. single. day? Ask Jesus for that and give thanks that I have two little boys to ask me questions.
Worried that we're not being stewardly with money? Ask Jesus for direction and assurance in spending matters and give thanks that we have money to spend.
Overwhelmed by the amount of laundry piled in the basement? Ask Jesus for perspective and give thanks we have more than enough clothes to get through every week.
I am so blessed beyond measure. It's when I forget to give thanks and turn the attention to myself when I get in trouble. My foundation of confidence has nothing to do with me. It starts with Christ and builds from there.
Yes, it includes talking kindly to myself. It involves grace. It involves heart matters instead of what's on my head. It involves making good decisions about what goes in my body and comes out of my mouth. It involves speaking love and keeping my emotions (can't blame hormones) in check.
Sometimes those things seem like a mountain that I'm not able to step foot on, but that's when I'm trying to do life on my own. It's hard, I'm crabby, and I'm going to go nowhere. However, when I just shift my focus to Christ, we're able to scale that mountain and I'm soaring like an eagle because of everything that we can accomplish together.
Maybe you feel that way too. Be encouraged, friends, with Christ all things are possible. Turn to Him and give him your insecurities in exchange for confidence.
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