Today’s post was inspired by the Sermon Notes of Dr. Charles Stanley, entitled: Those Feelings of Inadequacy
(In Touch Ministries, Intouch.org)
I can relate to those feelings of inadequacy
Because they have been hanging around and bothering me
Most all of my adult life they’ve been in the way
Of the confidence I carried in my younger days
Because I used to believe I could conquer the world
There was no goal I couldn’t reach in my dreams as a young girl.
But I became consumed with what “other people think”. And the confidence I once had, began to shrink. I critiqued my every move, because they were watching me and I gave into those feelings of inadequacy.
They were telling me things like “You’ll never measure up!” The path I’d envisioned became rocky and rough. A faint whisper said “Your family is from the wrong side of the tracks, with no Ivy League education or Trust Fund in tact!”
The boss’s comment: “We’ve hired way too many rednecks, we need someone more polished!”
And In retrospect, I believed his condemning words were really pointed at me, mocking the humble beginnings of my Family Tree.
Yet even Gideon’s humble beginnings made him doubt his ability, though anointed by God to deliver Israel from her enemies. And Jeremiah was called by God to be a Prophet, yet he claimed he didn’t know how to speak. And Moses lack of eloquence was an obstacle when God called him to go before Pharaoh to speak.
And I too had allowed my feelings of inadequacy, to shape my thoughts and make me believe, that I could never become that girl I dreamed I’d be.
Because I doubted God’s promise to finish what He called me to do. And that He’d given His Holy Spirit to see me through.I felt defeated with every failure and praise didn’t lift me up. A poor self-image from comparison to others were the feelings that filled my cup.
But when we let insecurities rule over our lives, there will always be something missing. We won’t be able to sense The Lord’s almighty power… or the fullness of His blessing. Because The Lord isn’t looking for people who measure up to His calling. He is looking for souls just like you and me. And He will use us in our weakness, and dispel those feelings of inadequacy.
So remember, God’s calling is irrevocable. Condemning voices do not have a say. When you keep your tent pitched in the land of Hope, those feelings of inadequacy will go away.