Motivation Monday - Finding the Confidence to Use Your Voice Part 2
“So many of us are trying to give something we do not possess but have taken on as a way to present ourselves that covers our vulnerability.”
Do you find it hard NOT to keep comparing yourself to everyone around you and measure your own success by how well you measure up to someone else’s? To find the confidence to show up as the woman God created you to be, there are a couple things to keep in mind.
First, STOP Comparing Yourself to Everyone Else
What is the first thing you do when you walk into a room? Do you size up the competition? You ask, “Do I belong here? Do I stand out too much, blend in too much? Am I worse than? Better than those in the room?”
Even in what should be the best moments of our lives, comparison lurks in the shadows, always seeking to exert itself and secure our worth at the expense of others.
Comparison is the root of most of the misery we feel in life. Comparison makes it impossible to view ourselves from any sort of godly perspective. As a woman, it is an absolute snare for your soul.
Those controlled by forces of comparison have unstable and insecure souls.
Your sense of identity is held captive by the judgements of those you live among and serve. Living by comparison produces a fragile soul.
That’s not want you want.
And second, to secure your confidence, you must take off the mask of FALSE IMAGING.
Parker Palmer says:
“When I give something I do not possess, I give a false and dangerous gift, a gift that looks like love but is, in reality, loveless –a gift given more from my need to prove myself than from the other’s need to be cared for.”
So many of us are trying to give something we do not possess but have taken on as a way to present ourselves that covers our vulnerability.
When Anne Graham Lotz came and did a big revival event I co-chaired a number of years ago, I literally wanted to take on her persona, style and preaching skill because I admired her so much. But that just wasn’t me!
Have you ever been tempted to try to emulate someone to the point where you lost yourself?
You are part of the priesthood of all believers.
You bear God’s image as female leaders – you are part of the church in all HER glory.
You are His ambassadors on this earth.
Your decision to pursue God’s call on your life is bigger than you.
Who else are you representing when you lead from a well-defined sense of who you are, why you are here and what you carry?
Who else can you raise up and call up giftings in when you are leading with confidence?
What other voices resonate with yours and are encouraged and called up because of your genuine voice?
You have been called to respond to the opposition
and lead with purpose.
Not to prove yourself.
Not to please others.
Not to look for a platform.
Not to fear your next failure.
But…to lead with confidence and purpose.
You are not meant to be squeezed into the opinions of the voices opposed to your voice. You are meant, as a female Christ-follower, called to multiply influence, flourish and rule with God’s authority, to transform your environment, to define and shape them to come under God’s design for human flourishing. Be confident!
I believe in you! God bless.
Cathie