In Others’ Words: The Demands of Insecurity

I’ve certainly sat on the ledge and attempted to reason with insecurity … and lost. I’ve tried to calm my self-doubts with both truths and the Truth and found myself staring down, down, down, realizing that insecurity is stone-deaf to that kind of wisdom and good sense. 

I also agree with my writing friend Jill Buteyn that insecurity is an all-too-willing assassin, one who sneaks up behind you or me to stab us in the back with accusations, insults, condemnations, and reminders of past failures.

Insecurities so often flame to life in the face of another’s success. Instead of immediately celebrating with our loved one, be they family member or friend or colleague, insecurity whispers, “Listen to me! Why didn’t you receive that award? Why weren’t you singled out? Will you ever be appreciated? Have you ever been valued?”

Each question is the verbal thrust of a knife in our back. Yes, we bleed … our sense of worth pouring out like our very life blood.

Jill confronted the unreasonable demands of insecurity in Just Show Up, the book she co-authored with Kara Tippets, who died of breast cancer in March 2015. Jill also shares how she learned to stand up to the backstabbing jerk of insecurity.

Instead of doubting herself or feeling left out or questioning her relationship with someone, she prayed for the other person. 

“The insecurities, for me, were instantly gone. Snap your fingers, Superman-fast gone,” Jill writes. “Just like that.

Yes, insecurity is a jerk that won’t be reasoned with. But prayer … prayer is more powerful than any insecurities rooted in our human frailties.

In Your Words: When have you confronted insecurity recently? How did you manage to silence the accusations that undermine your sense of worth?

In Others’ Words: The Demands of Insecurity #InOthersWords #LifeQuotes #insecurity
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“Insecurity is a backstabbing jerk that demands attention and doesn’t listen to logic.”…
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