Lighter Living: ConfidenceSample

Romans 8:1 boldly says, “The case is closed.” When you read that, what do you think of? I immediately go back in my mind to adolescence standing in front of my mother knowing that it was time to shut up and move on. Grr.

But this is the best command you could ever receive, because the author tells us there is no more condemnation for those who believe in Jesus. Move on and accept it. If only it felt that simple and easy. We live in a highly critical and comparative world, and our flesh has conditioned to the language of “not enough” throughout our entire lives from the cues of those around us and the voice within us.

We silently condemn ourselves often — looking in the mirror, exiting a meeting, after putting our kids to bed . . . we all have our inner critic. But, thankfully, we have the power of free will and choice. Choice to listen to our inner critic of all the ways we fall short, or choice to listen to the whispers from our Creator and our heavenly Father of our beauty, our worth, our purpose, and our hope.

You and I have the ability to choose the voice we listen to and the voice we imitate. As we begin to cue into how we speak to ourselves throughout our day, we hear how often we condemn ourselves. As painful as it may be to confront, it’s the first stone on the path to confidence. It starts with speaking to yourself the way God speaks to you. In compliments. In approval. In endorsements. All because of who you are, all because of Him.

• What is something your inner critic says to you often?
• What situations cause your inner critic to speak louder?
• Ask God to help you think of a compliment to give yourself today. Take a moment to say it to yourself out loud, maybe even while looking in a mirror. Allow yourself to fully accept the compliment as loving and true.