By Latoya Hammond
Have you ever allowed your insecurities to keep you from experiencing the authentic version of yourself, then girl, I GOTT U!
Insecurities are those things about us that cause us to shrink in the presence of others who we believe are better than we are. The source of our insecurities can be from things that have happened to us or unfavorable words that have been spoken to us and about us. Insecurities come wrapped in thoughts of I AM NOT! I am not smart enough. I am not good enough. I am not worthy. I am not strong enough. If we are not careful, all of these thoughts will take us in a direction and create a narrative never intended for us.
Growing up, I experienced bullying, racism, and colorism at the hands of classmates, “boyfriends,” peers and co-workers. In my home, it was more so about the unspoken words. There was no daily I love you’s; I am proud of you; you are beautiful; you are special; or you are going to do great things!! So, what I thought about myself was shaped by what I did not hear. It was't until I got older, maybe college age that I began to receive more positive messages. However, by this time there was an inner struggle about who I was which affected my confidence. As I attempted to navigate the world without confidence, my insecurities did not make life easy. Insecurities ruled me and caused me to make the wrong choices in relationships, in school, on the job and with caring for myself. My insecurities caused me to allow people to take advantage of me because I felt like I did not have a voice to speak up for myself. I did not know that my voice and my feelings actually mattered.
It was not until I was in my late 20’s that I began to deal with my insecurities. I began going to one of the best churches on the planet that taught the love of God and who He is and how He feels about me!!! I learned that God loved me unconditionally and He had a purpose and plan for my life. But, it was hard to truly believe and comprehend that God could love someone like me because in my mind, I was not this person He said I was.
It took some time but I eventually made the decision to start dealing with my insecurities.
The first thing I had to do was acknowledge what those insecurities were and, as crazy as this may sound, I had to embrace them. They were a part of me. Insecurities are beautiful flaws (what other people labeled as flaws), quirks, awkwardness that other people perverted and caused you to believe there was something wrong with you. You may be thinking how do you embrace your insecurities and begin to work on them? I will tell you to begin by seeking God!
You are His original design and He knows everything about you. James 1:5 tells us to ask God for wisdom and He will generously give it to us. When we ask, we must then walk it out by faith. God will love you through the process. We must be willing to identify, embrace and then work on changing our perspective on how we see ourselves. If we do not deal with our insecurities, others will then weaponize them against us. Every day we have an opportunity to choose how we are going to present ourselves to the world.
I am in a space now where I am really focusing on the truth that I can go to God for anything about me! He is the one who created me. It is this truth that allows me to have a daily desire to love who I am and who I am becoming. Now, do not get me wrong, there are days where the thoughts will come and I am not feeling myself but, I choose to speak who I AM based on what God says until my mindset shifts. I have gone from insecure to being “IN SECURE” in God’s love and trusting God with who I am!! Ladies, I want you to know you are God’s original; His workmanship; His masterpiece; and it is time for you to go from being insecure to being “IN SECURE” in God’s love!
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.