Summer has finally arrived in London. Sunshine, lazy evenings, the smell of barbecue in the air, ice cream, summer fruit.... and the next round of the reading group!
Welcome. I'm looking forward to going through Beth Moore's So Long Insecurity, and I hope a few of you will join me on this quest for real security. Things may get uncomfortable along the way, but as Beth points out, 'The enemy of your soul has a tremendous amount to gain if you don't deal with your insecurities. Don't let him have that kind of victory. Let's stay honest and courageous, and trust that help is on the way'.
Let's get going...
This week, please read the Introduction, Chapter One, and Chapter Two. We'll have until next Thursday to answer Beth's questions...
1. Chapter One: When was the last time you came face-to-face with our gender’s massive struggle with insecurity? Describe the setting.
2. This question is based on Chapter Two: what part of the definition or description of insecurity resonated most with you and why?
* Haven't been able to get a copy of the book yet? You can read the Intro & Ch.1 here.
* Wondering what on earth is going on? Click here.
3 comments:
chapter 1:
Just now. I can’t really pin point one situation but I guess just entering uni life for the first semester and “fitting in” with the existing. Not so much of trying to be accepted but the security of being accepted and the whole boy-girl thing everyone is so familiar with.
I think it is an almost every day struggle- oftentimes just not on the top of the list of worries (eg “oh I feel so insecure!”) that we don’t see it as a problem. Ironically, it could just be the root of some, if not most worries. What really spoke to me was Beth saying that we’re attempting to get our security/ derive our womanhood from men. I never really saw it this way but reckon it is spot on. “We use guys like mirrors to see if we’re valuable” and I guess that is true in the sense we are always seeking approval- from men, or just others for that matter, when we should actually be looking inside, to the Creator of our beings. Often times we know it, I know it, but fail to acknowledge it most times.
-rachel
Chapter 1:
Rach, I think you hit the nail on the head... Insecurity, much like pride, becomes a subconscious motivator for a lot of our behaviour.
I can think of several situations that have taken place recently that I've been happy to gloss over as being not such a big deal, but actually are evidence of my insecurity. Eg. this weekend I bumped into a group of really trendy girls that used to be in my youth group and so of course I mentally go through my outfit to see how it measures up... Or sucking in my tummy more than occasionally when I'm around people... :D
YES, the guys as mirrors bit is so true! And so annoying! A couple weeks back I told a friend she looked really pretty in a particular outfit. She responded 'It's so weird - you say that and I think 'ok', but if a boy said that to me, it makes my day'. WHY do we do that?!?
Chapter 2:
Wow - such a good chapter! I related to quite a bit of it in varying degrees, but when Beth used the phrase 'self-sabotage' that was it! 'A profound sense of self-doubt - a deep feeling of uncertainty about our basic worth and our place in the world'.
And it isn't even that I give this a great deal of thought (at least not consciously), but yes, I can see times in my life where I have sabotaged myself because I didn't think I was good enough...
So then when Beth gets to the bit about not just doubting ourselves, but doubting God about ourselves, like we somehow know ourselves better than God, and if He really knew us, He wouldn't bother... Hoo boy!
(Hmmm, Rachel you were worried that your response was long...Hehe)
Just briefly, in answer to the second question, I'm a little sorry to admit it, but I found myself agreeing with pretty much the whole definition. For as long as I can remember, I've been called shy and told people that that's what I am, and it may be true, but the much bigger, underlying problem has been insecurity. Now that I'm taking time to stop and really think about it, I'm shocked at just how much it affects my everyday life. I don't share this with feelings of despair or pessimism, but rather the opposite. I'm excited and optimistic for change, because I know that my God is strong... His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. Halelujah! :)
Post a Comment