“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”— C.S. Lewis
I have a confession. I am a recovering shopaholic. I didn't used to be able to leave my house without a designer handbag on my arm. I know it sounds ridiculous and I'm truly embarrassed to admit it now, but for years it was part of my identity and I literally felt naked without one. I didn't feel worthy if I wasn't carrying the latest "it bag".
Instead of coordinating my bag with my outfit. I would coordinate my outfits with my bags. In my mind, I would compare myself to other women by looking at what purse they were carrying. It made me feel better about myself to know I had the nicest bag in the room. I was materialistic.
“Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” — Luke 12:15
But as I've matured, I've realized that my materialism was actually masking my low self esteem. I wasn't buying expensive handbags out of greed or a desire to show off as much as I was buying them to hide the fact that I wasn't comfortable just being me. I didn't have confidence in my own worth, so I thought a nice bag would prove my value. I've never felt pretty enough or smart enough, so I hid behind outward stuff. When I finally faced that fact, I stopped needing to buy a new bag every month. I got comfortable going out of the house sometimes without a purse at all. I realized my confidence should be in Christ, not in a bag, my clothes, my hair, my car....
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” — Jeremiah 17:7
Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having a nice handbag. I still do pull my favorites out of the closet from time-to-time, but they are no longer a mask I need to give me confidence. I still enjoy them, but I don't LOVE them the way I used to.
“For the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” — 1 Timothy 6:10 (emphasis added)
This all might sound trivial, but it's just me being honest. I know a lot of us struggle with "things" that we use to mask how we really feel about ourselves.
Handbags might not be your thing, but have you considered what you might be using to mask the areas where you lack confidence? I encourage you to spend some time thinking about what you think you can't live without and examining if that thing might just be masking an area of your life that you should instead trust to God.
Scriptures To Boost Your Confidence
Do you lack confidence in your PHYSICAL BEAUTY? Read 1 Samuel 16:7
Do you lack confidence in your INTELLIGENCE? Read James 1:5
Do you lack confidence in PRAYER? Read Ephesians 3:12
Do you lack confidence in APPROACHING GOD? Read Hebrews 4:16
Do you lack confidence that YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH? Read Isaiah 41:10
Do you lack confidence in YOUR DREAMS? Read Psalm 37:4
Do you lack confidence in asking God to meet YOUR NEEDS? Read 1 John 5:14
Do you lack confidence that your work has ETERNAL VALUE? Read 1 Corinthians 15:58
Jamila is the founder of loved+blessed. On her personal mission to leave a legacy of encouragement, she blogs about her own life lessons with the hope that it will bring joy into others’ lives and help them find the courage to keep walking in faith knowing that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord. Read her testimony of how God turned her misery into ministry.
Comments
So true. Thanks Rose!
This is a good post. It’s not just things either…it could be degrees, businesses you own, etc. In fact, it could be a lot of things. We’ve all been there too, in one way or another.
Amen Precious., thank you for sharing. That’s something I’ve struggled with too. I’ve never really worn daily makeup. Not because I’m super confident in my looks, but more because touch my face all day and it would just be a mess…..and I’d rather sleep in a few more minutes than spend time doing my makeup. LOL
Thanks for the transparency and the scriptures Jamila. So your boxes are pretty and pink but they pack a punch…there are these little challenges that come along with each box that encourage me to look at areas that I would rather not. One of my greatest challenges has been make-up. Dealing with a multitude of skin issues led me to believe I couldn’t leave the house without the face paint. Highschool was tough…I covered up alot. Today, I will leave the house without make-up but it’s interesting, I usually label those days as my “bummy” or “lazy” days. Still a work in progress…but I refuse to spend more than 10 minutes doing my make up and I try to keep it as natural as possible. No covering up…just enhancing what God has created.
I very much understand this. Buying “stuff” can be like a drug. Handbags, shoes, clothes and even electronics have been an issue for me at different times in my life. I can convince myself I “need” them and if I just get the right bag somehow life will be better. That’s obviously not true buying stuff would temporarily make me feel like everything was okay. But eventually I realized how empty that is and the only thing that could truly fill that void of insecurity for me was a stronger relationship with God. I still have my moments of weakness, but I can quickly remind myself that stuff is just stuff and has no true value. At one point I wrote “you have enough” on a bunch of post its and put them on my mirror, my car dashboard and in my wallet. Then anytime I went to open my wallet or turn into a store parking lot I was reminded that I didn’t NEED whatever it was I was obsessing over buying.
I too have developed a recent shopping addiction. I feel like since I’ve moved to a new place, away from and away from all things familiar I’ve replaced the good feelings of being surrounded by loved ones with being surrounded by new things and new trinkets.