Mekenna Eisenga | Staff Writer

The following is a piece from staff writer Mekenna Eisenga’s blog, “Kenderhearted.” “Them” is a devotional about self-confidence from Eisenga’s three week-series titled “I, Them, Him.”

Let’s start with a word of prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, give me your spirit. Have me be a co-creator of this world. You are the graceful boss of an abundant job. May we embrace uncertainty, singleness, weakness and brokenness solely from the strength You give us.

You are the God of gods, Lord of lords and King of kings.

I love you. In Jesus name I pray,

amen.

Read:

Galatians 1:6-11

Stop and Consider:

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant” (Verse 10, NLT).

I asked a few people this question: “What do you think others think of you? What are some words that would describe what you believe people think of you?” Here are some answers I anonymously received:

“Judgemental. Cold-Hearted. Emotionless. Arrogant. Slut.”

“Self-Centered.”

“Rude. Overweight. Overbearing.”

“I think people think I am intimidating and that I care too much.”

“Boring. Uninteresting. Forgettable.”

“Unintelligent. Large (size). Neglecting (unintentional). Unworthy. Overly Talkative. Self-Centered.”

“Bossy. Selfish.”

“Not someone I want to be friends with.”

Let all of those comments sink in. Do you resonate with any of them? Do you see yourself in those comments? I don’t know about you but these broke my heart. Not knowing who wrote what, I find myself hopeless. But the only thing I am confident in, is to pray for each and every one of these words and girls. Lord revive these souls.

If there is one thing I wish I never allowed to take control over me was what others thought of me. I was a people-pleaser. It got to the point that I had one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom. I was crushed. It was time I needed to live out what I was created to live out: Be a God-pleaser, NOT a people-pleaser.

Because I was once a slave to my peers, I want you to know: Do not devote all of your energy towards public opinion. It’s as if we have a list of expectations and qualities that we constantly have to fulfill. But who cares if he/she doesn’t like your hair! Who cares if he/she doesn’t like how you talk! Who cares if he/she doesn’t like your style! Who cares if he/she doesn’t agree with your spiritual beliefs. Who cares if he/she doesn’t agree with your political stand. Who cares if he/she doesn’t like your figure. Who cares if he/she thinks you’re boring. Who cares if he/she thinks you are bossy. Who cares if he/she thinks you are uninteresting. Because YOU ARE interesting, lovely, desired, sunshine, worthy, kind and the salt of the world! You have been chosen for goodness sakes alive! The enemy wants us to believe that people think of us negatively. It is the enemy’s destiny for us to be defeated and rely on the human race instead of God. Hold fast and stand firm!

Sooner or later it will become our idol. Idolizing public acceptance. Idolizing public opinion. Idolizing public appearance. It will be a constant sprint to a finish line that doesn’t exist. It’s as if you are running a relay and one day you give the baton to God, the next day you give the baton to society, the next day you give the baton to judgement, etc. You will be wasting energy and grasping for negative air. God doesn’t want you for one day, He wants you ALL THE TIME.

So how do we move past what other’s say about us? Well it won’t happen overnight, it will be a constant battle and quite frankly we will never escape it. But there is hope! The first step is to know and accept who you truly are. God says, “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way” (Song of Solomon 4:7, NLT). We also learn from Peter, “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God” (1 Peter 3:3-4, NLT). God is the most powerful, the King of kings and the ruler of all and He thinks you are without blemish. Shouldn’t that be enough? If it was enough then we would have never known what insecurity or comparison means.

The second step is to not let what people think of you affect who you are in Christ. I had said this in week one, do not let the insecurities of others hinder your security in the Lord. People will always have something to say and will always find something for you to change, but don’t. You are who you are, not because of other people, but because of who you are in Christ. “You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word” (Psalm 119:73-74, NKJV). The one thing I like to remind myself when public opinion creeps into my mind is, “I am who I am.” God created me personally and uniquely. If some people do not like my personality then great! I am not here to satisfy anyone but the purity of the Savior’s mercy. As Beth Moore states: “May our actions and attitudes bear witness to the indwelling character of Christ within me.”

No matter our condition, He is a God who loves us still. He forms us in secret, He pulls us from our darkest place and in our weakness He has never left our side. No matter fear or failure, He will meet us there. Whether you think no one wants to be friends with you, you think people label you as a slut, or you don’t believe your body is up to society’s standards then guess what––with Christ as your Savior:

You are no longer slaves of:

Opinion. Covetousness. Comparison. Sin.

Insecurity. Unworthiness. People-pleasing.

You are wonderful and lovely!

I firmly believe that the angels of heaven and God Himself are hooting and hollering and happy, clapping for you because you have realized that YOU have been chosen, and YOU are made holy. It is sealed with His promise.

As Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren said: “You can’t focus on your purpose while looking at other people.”

When life gets too hard to stand, kneel. Before you begin your devotion, kneel/bow before the Lord. Face your palms toward the ground and release all of your insecurities and sins. Then face your palms towards the sky and thank the Lord for deliverance, mercy, redeeming you and wiping away the mess in your life.

I am grateful and He is gracious. Happy Day!

XO: Ken

Devo Time:

1. Where do you find most of your insecurities? Ex. image, grades, boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife,kids, clothes?
2. What do you need to ignore and forget to allow you to be confident in yourself and see the authentic person God created you to be?
3. Who are the people you need to surround yourself with to not prevent insecurities from showing up? What friends have you chosen?
4.  Write down the negative words that come to mind that you think people think of you. Cross them out! Now write over those negative words with who you are in Christ.