Learn a New Skill to Build Your Confidence

We are working at becoming more courageous during my series, Confident in God's Hands. Today, I'd like to address the importance of learning new skills.

Turn your losses into opportunities.
Losing our health, our jobs, our marriages, our families, or our money as a result of abuse or trauma can really take a toll on our confidence. Without these basics, many of us lose our ability to tackle challenges.

When we can no longer function due to illness, relationship issues, or job loss, we may suffer from depression and anxiety. Without a way to experience regular success, most of us struggle with low self-esteem, because we're not using the skills that we had once honed.

Learning a new skill that stretches our current level of functioning can give our confidence a terrific shot in the arm. Taking that first step and committing to learning something new can be frightening, to say the least. But if we're willing to take a risk, the pay-offs are worth it.

Adult Ed 101
Multiple sclerosis has sidelined me from holding down a regular job for nearly a decade. At times, I suffer from depression, because I am not using my mind or my body in ways that were once challenging to me.

Someone suggested becoming a real estate agent, because the hours are flexible. But I know from experience that I would never be able to manage the required hours in the office. So, Joe and I decided to learn about real estate investing as a way to keep my mind sharp to and to improve our current investment returns.

We signed up for on-line classes and began a journey that has felt like a roller coaster ride at times. Trying to learn so much new information has been exhausting. Evaluating real estate deals has been terrifying. Worrying about whether we've made mistakes or overlooked important details in our calculations has been nerve-wracking.

In spite of the difficulties, though, something wonderful has begun happening. With each step, we are discovering that real estate investing isn't so scary after all. And with each success, our confidence grows.

Each time we re-apply our new skills to another situation, our self-esteem flourishes. Before long, I'm sure we will look back and wonder why we were ever depressed or worried.

God walks into classrooms ahead of us.
When we decide to learn a new skill, God goes ahead of us. His Word says, "Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you." (Deut 31:6 MSG)

All through the process of learning something new and applying it to life, God is there. What do we have to fear?

Today's Challenge
Are you becoming antiquated because of losses related to abuse or trauma? If you're feeling clueless, sign up for a community ed class about computers or financial planning. If you're scared to leave home, sign up for an art class, an exercise club, or an outdoor adventure. Meeting new people may be scary, but developing improved relationship skills along the way will boost your confidence. Push yourself to the next level. Learn a new language or skill that will land you a better job. Whatever it takes, do something to update your skill set today. Ask God to go ahead of you and wait for something wonderful to happen.

God Loves Us

This week, I would like to talk about love in my series for survivors of abuse and trauma, Thriving in God's Garden. My focus is not on the type of romantic love that we think about on Valentine's Day or Sweetest Day, but on the type that God feels for us. In Greek, this love is known as agape.

John 3:16 (NIV) tells us about this love: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Today, I would like you to think about how much God loves us.

I have a son who served in Iraq in the Marine Corps. The entire time that he was overseas, I begged God to protect him from bombs that fell from the sky and those that were strapped to suicide bombers. My prayers were entirely selfish, because all I wanted was for my son to return. I wasn't thinking about the love he felt for helpless people in a war-torn country.

God sent his son, Jesus, into the world to serve, too. But he didn't think about selfishly bringing him back home as quickly as possible. Instead, he allowed people to mock him, spit on him, beat him, and kill him.

Why didn't God stop this from happening? If he had prevented Jesus' crucifixion, all of us would still be subject to the punishment that we rightly deserve for our wrongs. By letting his son die, God showed how much he loves us. Because Christ's death on the cross--and his resurrection--saves us from the punishment that we deserve and allows us to live forever in a loving relationship with God.

My prayers for my son's safety during war were short-sighted and selfish. God's plan to save us through Jesus was very long-sighted and incredibly loving. Do you know what this love feels like? How have you experienced it?

Today's Challenge
Meditate on the words of John 3:16. How does it make you feel when you allow yourself to experience the magnitude of God's love for you?