He Said, She Says: The Power of Praying God's Wordনমুনা

What He Said About Insecurity & Guilt

The best thing about my childhood backyard was an old, metal, A-frame swing set. I have vivid memories at age 7 of burning my legs on that hot, tin slide and of duct taping plastic on the broken see-saw seat. But one memory stands out more than others: the day I attempted to fly.

One Sunday afternoon, right after church, I ditched my frilly dress for a T-shirt and shorts and headed to the swings. The half rubber, half plastic seat molded itself around my tiny backside as I sat down and wiggled into position. I began to pump. Legs in, legs out, higher and higher, over and over. This was it, I remember thinking. If I can let go and jump at just the right time and flap my wings, er, I mean arms, surely I’ll fly!

I was so high in the air that the metal posts of that A-frame swing set were lifting from the ground. Right when I knew I couldn’t get any higher without flipping over, I let go, jumped, and flapped, and…

Gravity.

There’s a good chance in life that you’ve been a version of an age 7 me. Perhaps you’ve been confident in who you were as a mother or maybe secure in the fact that you’re not a mother. You’ve been content with your position at work or in school. And then something changes. Perhaps you’ve scrolled through social media, looking at images of overly-perfect women with overly-filtered families. Maybe you’ve been questioned with “why aren’t you married” or “when will you have kids” or “why didn’t you graduate” so often that you’re questioning your once-confident self. You’re no longer secure. You’re now covered in guilt, not living up to new and confusing standards.

Perhaps you had plans of flying high spiritually, mentally, or physically. You put lots of effort in to Bible studies, meditating on the Word, and self-discipline. Surely this would be the time when you became confident in who God created you to be and in the purpose He has for you, but then the gravity of comparison tosses you down.

God has a purpose for you, and it is good and it is yours. It’s not your sister’s. It’s not your neighbor’s. God’s purpose for you is unique and it’s yours – only yours. Do you trust Him with your life? Consider reading the following verses and creating “I am” statements from them.

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From He Said, She Says, by Allyson McElroy of On3Ministries.com