Words With Elle
Overcoming insecurity.
“Three things cannot be long hidden – the sun, the moon and the truth.”
Insecurity is an internal dialogue that for me, unfolds almost daily. Even now, as I put these words on paper, I can count of so many self-doubts.
Sometimes, the voice of insecurity is barely above a whisper – quiet, discrete, dressed up in reason, and only seeping through the cracks of my life in moments of honest vulnerability.
Other times, insecurity is the loudest voice I can hear – clear as the sea, completely arresting, and demanding a strong dose of energy to speak up against it.
Though the wrestle has grown easier as I’ve grown older, silencing negative self-belief has become a daily discipline for me. I think it’s something I’ll always be learning more about.
As I scroll through social media at midnight, see my friends, loved ones or even strangers ‘succeed before or without me’, or as I compare my gifts and personal attributes to those of another, I hear the voice of insecurity tell me that I’m lacking – that I’ll never attain the desires of my heart, I’ll never be ‘successful’, my character or personality will never be good enough…that I’ll never fulfil my purpose.
While I haven’t found the formula for overcoming insecurity, I’ve come to realise that in an imperfect world, the inner fight against it may always exist. So, it’s up to me and you to rise up and listen attentively to the voice of God above all others. The voice that nourishes, satisfies and sustains - never leaving us lost or empty.
My hope is that as you read the following statements, you’ll keep the words safe and save them for a rainy day. I hope you’ll breathe deep, let the truth sink in, sew it into the fabric of your life, and release any of the lies that keep you confined - remembering that insecurity is nothing but a voice, paling in comparison to the beauty, wonder and fullness of who you really are. I hope you’ll know that you are not the sum of your thoughts, doubts, worries or weaknesses. Rather, you are everything you’re supposed to be – capable, strong, set apart and adored from the inside out. In fact, who you are and what you have to offer is wildly unique – there is nobody else in the world who can show up like you.
So, here are some warm and gentle reminders to help you combat insecurity:
Lie: I’m just another face in the crowd
Truth: I have an important space to occupy and there will always be room for me
Truth: I am the right person, in the right place, at the right time
Lie: Nobody truly knows me
Truth: You read my heart like an open book (Psalm 139)
Truth: I am deeply and wholly understood
Lie: I am mediocre
Truth: I am a catalyst for change – ambitious, intelligent and vibrant
Truth: I am a miracle
Lie: My dreams are too far to reach
Truth: My dreams were designed with God-breathed imagination. With His hand on my life, I will walk confidently toward them
Truth: I leave my destiny and its timings in the palm of your hands (Psalm 16)
Lie: I’m not beautiful
Truth: Culture’s perception of beauty does not negate my own
Truth: I am a mosaic of beautifully put together pieces. Matchless and bold
Lie: I can’t do this
Truth: Your strength empowers me
Truth: You sustain my every moment
Lie: What I do doesn’t matter
Truth: My voice is significant
Truth: The world needs my contribution
Lie: I’m alone
Truth: You are close to me and always available (Psalm 16)
Truth: I experience your wrap around presence all around me (Psalm 17)
Lie: Everyone around me is moving forward while I stay stagnant
Truth: The same Light that shines on them, shines on me too
Truth: I am where I belong
Lie: I’m not enough
Truth: I am the head and not the tail, above and not below (Deuteronomy 28:13)
Truth: I’m not only good enough, but exceptional
Lie: I’m lost
Truth: You are always pursuing me
Truth: I can never run so far that I am outside of your love and light
Lie: I don’t have a purpose
Truth: For as long as there is breath in my lungs, my life is infused with purpose
Truth: Every step I take matters
With love, Elle xx