joy
The anatomy of self-doubt
Do you find it hard to trust yourself? Are you scared of taking decisions because you’re afraid to make mistakes and bear the consequences?
Self-doubt is a thief who will steal your joy, your sense of self-worth and self-confidence; it will keep you in a stupor too fearful to try things out and discover their outcome.
Self–doubt immobilizes you with fear. You dread taking risks because you do not want to fail.
But the truth is, in life we can’t achieve much without stepping out to try things out and then see what we get at the end of the road. We only have to trust God at such moments to lead and guide us in the right direction, and to bring us back on track when we go astray.
What are some of the things that provoke self-doubt?
- You’ve messed up too many times in life and you’re afraid to mess up another time. You prefer to play it safe this time.
- You’ve been disappointed so often; you’d rather be careful.
- You’ve been hurt too much; you won’t let it happen to you again; your guards are always up.
- You’ve often been told you’re no good; you now belief it’s true. You don’t want to confirm that ugly report.
- The devil is plaguing you with the spirit of fear and dread. You are under captivity and you need deliverance.
- You just hate trying out new things; you’re the comfort zone kind of person.
Self-doubt in itself is not bad, especially the kind that pushes you to ask questions, try out new recipes and do research to find answers. This can actually lead to self-improvement which we all need.
What I’m talking about here is the kind of negative, tormenting self-doubt that makes you to devalue yourself and to doubt your own capability at achieving anything great.
When we understand that God has promised never to leave us or abandon us, that He will not be very angry with us for messing us, that He will readily take us back and continue to love us even when we’ve made mistakes, we will be more willing to take bold steps and to leap forward, counting on Him to see us through.
So what is the cure for self-doubt?
Trust that God knows your doubt and that He’s ready to give you answers when you ask him questions. Trust that He will faithfully guide and lead you along the way. Trust that Christ in you is wisdom, power and a sound mind.
Good luck to you all as you take bold steps and great leaps forward to achieve great things in this year 2016.
The same measurement you use…
We are all called to serve under some form of leadership or another. We are faced with the challenge of submitting to people who might not be as talented, wise or educated as we expect. We could be tempted to despise and even openly criticize their every move because we know better or we think we do.
We should however never fail to realize that only those who wear the shoe know where it pinches. It is easier to follow than to lead. It is easier to observe at a distance and conclude that you would do a better job if you were in the leader’s seat.
But the truth is that once you find yourself in that position you are faced with reality and variables that render your magic plan very impossible. You begin to realize that the head that wears the crown has more than an issue to deal with.
What am I saying then?
We should seek to correct, suggest, propose, call attention to things we consider out of place and even dangerous for the enterprise, home, cooperation etc. But we should do all in love, knowing that the leadership seat is not always as easy as that of the follower.
Give your leader some benefit of doubt and be kind in the way you seek to contribute. Tomorrow you could find yourself in his or her position and you may even find yourself acting the same way he did because you just realized there were variables you didn’t know about when you were still a follower.
Be the kind of follower who brings joy to leadership.
FIRE FIGHTERS
You will never see them in action unless something is wrong somewhere. They are called up only when the fire is already on the mountain, otherwise they will be jobless. They are valued only when things get out of hand; when things are under control, they are not needed.
Do you feel like a fire fighter at your job site, home, family or community? Are you the kind of person who is ignored and minimized until things get out of hand and there is need for a spare tire? Or are you normally given an opportunity to put your gifts and talents to action? Who are you in that company, office, family? Mr. CEO, do you value your subordinates at all times?
As leaders, we should learn to trust our subordinates enough to assign them some of the tasked we ourselves would love to do. Do not be the kind of boss who is always in control over everything and at all times. You think you can handle it all alone, but when things start going out of hand, you start looking for fire fighters to save the situation.
When you make it a habit to cultivate the gifts and talents in your subordinates, disciples, children and co-pastors, it will create an atmosphere of confidence and mutual respect. The day you are unavailable for a particular task, another person will simple take the relay baton and continue where you ended, and this will be done with competence and joy.
If you turn them into fire fighters, remember that you can never save all your goods when the company is already on fire.
As a Senior Pastor, learn to sit down at times and listen to your co-Pastor preach, it should not only be when you are on a mission trip abroad. No one wants to be a spare tire all their lives.
Leadership and Purpose 