Those who know me know that it is just as likely for me to break out a random dance move as it is for me to throw out a deep thought they never saw coming. This will be more along the lines of the latter: I’m hoping the pulse of this post gets “stuck in your head” for longer than the “Juju on That Beat” would.
Insecurity is not just unfortunate for you, but it’s a poison you feed your loved ones.
Read it again, if you would. I’ve been re-wording this in my mind over the past several months, wondering if I should soften it, as I typically like my posts to leave you with a motivating buzz. However, this one will feel a little more like my Monday-morning weight lifting class than like my Friday Zumba lunch-break class. Both types of “burn” are worthwhile. And true wellness encompasses more than just our shell.
Insecurity is not just unfortunate for me, but it’s a poison I feed my loved ones.
An example to which you may relate: a woman gives in to her temptation to sweets all too often and that shows up on her body, over time ebbing away at her self-confidence. Her insecurity grows as she tries on multiple pairs of the previous year’s jeans, none of which well-contain the spillover. It’s unfortunate that previous month’s choices leave her feeling the insecurity she does today. However, her marriage is force-fed the poison of her insecurity day after day as she repels her husband’s touch due to her discontentment with herself.
Insecurity is not just unfortunate for her, but it’s a poison she feeds her loved ones.
The knot of insecurity can’t be instantly unbound with a quote or a blog post, I am certain. And its malignancy can’t be apologized away with a quick word. Regardless, deep detox is worth pursuing, not just for those of us who inadvertently concoct the poison, but for those around us who breathe in the virulent mist of our insecurities.
Feeling this pulse of this post? Then of course I have some “exercises” for you:
- Do a little soul-searching: What are your areas of insecurity that could be making their wake in others’ lives? They may be related to more than your body image.
- What choices, circumstances or thought patterns got you there, and how? What steps can be taken today to go in the other direction? If there are not steps worth taking, and it’s a matter of acceptance (natural skin changes with aging or childbirth, for example), then what do you need to focus on make this mindset shift so that it no longer plagues you and consequently others you care about?
- Who can you be accountable to that will help you kick this cancerous cadence, whether it be a mindset change or a lifestyle change that you need to make?
Personally, I have found I have to daily ask for the strength and self-control that leads to security from the strongest One I know:
“It is the Lord who arms me with strength and makes my way secure.” 2 Samuel 22:33
