We Were Made to Be CourageousSample

Confidence is a tough skill to build if it doesn’t come natural to you. A lot of people out there, myself included, have either been a victim to situations that have made them feel as if their value wasn’t worth as much as others, which in result makes them feel like they have to compensate for the false train of thought telling them they’re not enough. Or they are victims to their own shame after some brutal self reflection; once they’ve snapped out of how they’ve been living and look back at all the bridges they’ve burned, they feel like they have to walk on eggshells when dealing with people.

I’m both of those people. I’ve been burned without warning so bad it felt like I got drop kicked down the stairs at the gates of Heaven, and I have burned undeserving people in my past that I was never able to reconcile with, leaving me feeling like I’ve got a crooked soul that everyone can see if I slip up and don’t say the perfect line at the perfect time. Both have contributed to the paralysis of my tongue on multiple occasions.

Shame and the resulting lack of confidence can drag you to a depth of suffering you wouldn’t think possible. The feeling you get after having to scurry back to your hidey hole once you’ve embarrassed yourself via word salad or being so stuck in your head you have to Irish goodbye an event can be crippling, and the amount of time it takes to get comfortable with your hiccups in those situations can be daunting at times.

It’s not been an easy road back to the Cross but ever since I’ve set my eyes on it, I’ve been blowing through red lights at the intersections of shame and grace more often as I get closer and closer to it. It’s still a battle here and there, but it has slowly and surely been getting easier. My hope is that as we go over these verses you‘ll find peace in the plan that God has for you, and you’ll grow in your confidence when you go to Him, and consequently when you go out into the world. Today, I’d like for us to meditate on the words of 1 Peter 4:16.