The Courage to Face Our Insecurities
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ”
Insecurity diminishes us. Insecurity is a spiritual problem because it keeps us from becoming our best selves. If we are shadows of ourselves, our divine calling will remain a shadow of what it could have been. Therefore, God calls us to work diligently to become humble yet confident. Confidence, not simply to feel successful, but so we can make a lasting difference in God's name.
In "6 Unconscious Habits Making You Insecure," Nick Wignall provides ways for each of us to overcome insecurity and embrace humble confidence. Wignall believes we can overcome insecurity when we break the following habits. The first harmful habit we nurture is "Reassurance seeking." Once we recognize that we keep asking others to put our minds at rest, it leaves us dependent inappropriately. Wignall confirms, "When you rely on other people to make you feel okay, you never learn how to make yourself feel okay." When we do not have anyone to affirm us, we often second guess ourselves, which is the second concern. "Second-guessing yourself distracts you from the uncertainty around your decisions." Wignall expresses the answer to second-guessing with a quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. "As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live."
Wignall's third challenge is for each of us to address our "Self-criticism" He reminds us, "You've been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn't worked. Instead, try approving of yourself and see what happens.-Louise Hay" When we are in the habit of criticizing ourselves, it is just a tiny leap to "Criticizing others." Helpful criticism aims to help others and ourselves, but this form of criticism attempts to diminish the other so that we can feel a tiny bit better about ourselves.
I will not address all six of Wignall's concerns but end with his concern about "Catastrophizing." Wignall states, "Catastrophizing is the mental habit of imagining the worst." I've read elsewhere that 90% of our fears are never realized, and most of the last 10% are not as severe as imagined. Catastrophizing overwhelms our thought process, not allowing us to work on a healthy solution.
Today, think about how each of these actions has impacted our lives. Provide examples for you to examine. Think about how the situation would have improved if you had responded with more confidence. Then pray for God to provide the divine confidence to face your insecurities with courage and wisdom. When you prayerfully work on your insecurities, God will provide!
