Comfortable Being Me

Psalm 56:11, "In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Confidence... Apparently this is something that God has been working in my heart on a lot lately because the last devotional I wrote was about confidence as well.

Recently, a few things come to mind about this.

The last few days have been wonderful! After a long time of being busy, I got to actually catch up with some friends. The first day, I got to go to lunch with someone. Then, I got to visit with two other friends and go to an advent church event. The next day, I was invited to go to Starbucks with another friend of mine. I felt so blessed as I got to spend time with all four of these people! But something was brought to my attention.

The person I went to lunch with was someone I'd never really got to hang out with before. I had the anticipation of a new situation where I was excited yet nervous. I saw myself analyze everything and worry that I'd talk too much or not have the right body language or tone of voice. Instead of being able to just rest in who God made me to be, I worried that somehow I was going to come across poorly. I was myself, but I didn't have peace in simply being myself.

Well, when I went to Starbucks with my other friend, God brought something to my attention. As we left, she said, "I hope I didn't talk too much."

In that moment, God opened my eyes to the fact that I am not the only one who worries about hoping that people approve of who I am.

I want so much to be a person that people like to be around! I want to be funny and interesting and kind, but I had once again found myself putting my confidence in myself instead of in God. I was afraid of not being liked.

I believe that this is something that many people struggle with. I've heard many stories of people being out of their comfort zones and having a hard time just being comfortable being themselves.

Today's verse reminded me that my trust and confident reliance needs to be in God, and that when it is in Him, I don't need to be afraid. Because, in all reality, with God on my side, what can man do to me?

Maybe you too struggle with being you. If so, I encourage you today to start asking God to change you into someone who can be comfortable in who He created you to be. He made you to be you, just like He made me to be me, and I need reminders of that every now and again!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for making every individual so unique. Every fingerprint is different, and that was no mistake. Lord, You created every one of us to be one of a kind. Help us be able to be confident in You so that we won't have to be uncomfortable being who You made us to be. Also, help us be able to accept others for who You made them to be. In Jesus' Name.

Amen.