I used to care way too much about what others thought about me. So much so, I can remember driving down the freeway in the rain and noticing the windshield wiper speed of other cars and comparing it to my own to ensure my speed matched. Something so insignificant that I would never notice about someone else.
I can look back on this memory without cringing because I see that what I was missing in my life at that time and what I now have. This helps me to realize that my past is no longer important enough to impact me. I am not embarrassed by who I was. I am accepting of myself and all of the good and bad qualities. I have and understand the big picture of life in which I play a role.
I am a small piece to the grand puzzle of time and reality. Moreover, I am a completed puzzle myself made up of many pieces identified as my personality, talents, appearance, flaws, temperament and weaknesses; the good and the bad traits that make me Thomas. Each one was given to me by God to make up a completed puzzle that fits into the greater puzzle of humanity and history.
I used to focus only on my negative traits, sitting at odds with myself, picking myself apart and declare my whole being as bad simply because I was not perfect because I had these negative aspects. This activity was draining and caused me much sorrow.
When I looked at others, I only saw their positive attributes and would compare these to my negative attributes which lessened my self-esteem and essentially ruined my life. It was a bleak existence of self-loathing that I never want to go back to and never will because I have discovered the keys to fighting insecurity.
If you are hoping to make the climb out of a similar mindset, consider the following steps to progress to a fuller, more peaceful way of life. I can’t promise that you will stop overthinking, but I can promise that if you start to drift back to insecurity and negative thinking, you will have the tools to get out of the tailspin.
- See the good in yourself, even in your flaws.
St. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Yes, you have a lot of weaknesses and flaws. You are by no means perfect, but you don’t need to be. Every human has a collection of good and bad traits that seem to balance each person out. We can celebrate our good qualities and appreciate them. Moreover, we can do the same with our bad traits, because, just as St. Paul saw, through them God’s power and glory are made known.
He works even through our foolishness, impulsiveness, awkwardness, or scatterbrained tendencies. We need not fear these weaknesses or the perceived terror that they may cause in our lives, whether it is real or not. As He has raised people from the dead, He can also resurrect you from any errors you make or embarrassment you might experience.
While we want to work on our flaws to be the best versions of ourselves, we don’t want their existence to cause us to think ourselves as less than others. Every one of us is good, worthy of love, and made for heaven. We should fight with all our effort to live for Jesus, but not let the existence of imperfections kill us. That would be the wrong sacrifice.
- Find your identity in Jesus.
When you find your identity in Jesus, you have truly overcome the world. You are invincible, because the thoughts of others on who you are and what you’re doing will not impact you as much as when we are without Him. You begin to see yourself through His eyes as your really are and based on misperceptions caused by negative thinking.
Jesus gives us our true identity. We think we might lose who we are by giving ourselves to Him, when in reality, He shapes our mind to help us to truly see ourselves and not the false reality our misconceptions can bring about. Ask Jesus to help you and He will let you know and love yourself better each day.
- Find your mission in Jesus.
Humans need a mission. For a truly fulfilling and rewarding life, we need purpose. This makes us more focused in our daily efforts and allows us to see our good qualities in action. Furthermore, working on our mission everyday takes the focus off ourselves, transferring our energy outward to fulfilling the purpose that we have found for our lives.
It’s important to find this mission in Jesus, because He knows better than we do where our conglomeration of good and bad qualities fits best. He created us for a purpose, and so we want to go to Him to live out this purpose. Plus, knowing that you are living out what God wants also brings about a new level of invincibility.
Honestly, knowing that you are doing what God has called you to do is extraordinary. The whole world can call you a loser, tell you that you’ll fail, and even point out your negative traits, but it won’t matter. You will see who you truly are and know that God is with you on your mission.
Find your mission in Jesus by going to Him as often as it takes to learn what He wants for you. He may want you to stretch yourself and wait, but He will let you know as soon as you need to know.
Feeling insecure seems like a small issue that we feel like we can just accept and put up with as we go about our lives. However, it does not have to be that way. We can be free of it and to live life without insecurity is a glorious thing!
Please let us know if you begin using these keys to overcome insecurity and find success. We would love to share in your joy! We offer a 12-week mentoring program in which we help people overcome obstacles to their growth. Call us today at 470-253-0802 to set up a meeting to discuss! It would be our pleasure to help you climb to the heights of humanity and live your life abundantly.
