It was 8th grade and the 11:30am bell just rang. In a rush for food and fun, my class headed for the cafeteria for lunch. My friends and I got our trays and sat at our usual table. We were laughing and joking around like always, and then my "friend" held up a tiny piece of lettuce and said, "hey Nikki, this is the size of your brain!” Everyone started laughing except me of course. In that moment, I got upset and embarrassed. At the time, I tried not to let it effect my confidence in who I knew I was, but couldn't help but let a little bit of it seep into my spirit.
Throughout our lives, inevitably, we will receive negative comments that are obviously lies. If we feed into those lies, they will start to become our reality. Unless, we turn it around and use them to fuel our future goals…
Those kinds of comments weren't completely uncommon to hear. Most of the time, it was just kids trying to grasp for something negative to make fun of me with. Unfortunately, some of these things are what I told myself as well.
I told myself, I couldn’t be a writer or anything that required a lot of reading. So, that forced me to go into something that involved working with numbers. I majored in business management, where most of my classes consisted of finance, accounting, statistics, quantitative methods, etcetera, etcetera. I shaped my future by telling myself I was good at math and business, that's it. This was all due to the lies I told myself and believed from my peers.
We all have examples of this in our life. Here are three practical steps to help you overcome these setbacks.
1. Identify the lie:
I labeled myself “inadequate” in reading and writing. In school, when the teacher would call on me to read out loud, I would get super nervous because I was not a smooth or fast reader. Every standardized test that I took, reading and English were always my lowest scores. It really made me self-conscious. I also panicked when I had to write a paper for school. It always seemed that I would have to spend three times longer on it than anyone else in my class. This weakness caused me to limit what dreams and goals I had for myself. What are the lies you are battling with today?
2. Replace the Lie with the Truth (What you say vs. What God says):
When you tell yourself you aren't good enough or capable of achieving something, you are basically saying that you don’t trust the One who created you. He tailor made you for a specific purpose. Who are we to call God a liar?
In my weakness of reading, writing, and grammar God laughed and said, but Nikki I am strong in those weaknesses. I will give you my grace and birth your purpose in those areas to show you and others it's in those very weaknesses I am made strong. That is when He called me to be a Christian Life Coach four years ago.
I believe God showed me that since I struggled in those areas all my life. He wants to use your weaknesses as a testimony.
Here are some scriptures to replace the lies with:
· I am God’s masterpiece. Ephesians 2:10
· I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13
· I am the head and not the tail. Duet 28:13
· I am more than a conqueror. Romans 8:37
· In my weakness, His power is made perfect. II Cor 12:9
· The peace of God guards my heart and mind. Phil 4:7
3. Call to Action:
Have you had hesitations about starting a new journey in your life? Like, leading a small group, volunteering, leaving a stable income to step into your God-given purpose, etc. When God called me to be a Christian Life Coach, I tried to juggle my full-time career with coaching only part-time. I wasn’t able to truly do the work He called me to do; therefore, I was faced with a decision to make. Not knowing the outcome of this action step, I went in faith to my boss and asked to go from full-time to part-time so I could focus on my dream. I was able to go down to four days a week instead of five.
When you know you need to take that first action step, remember who you are in Christ. Don’t allow the lies to hold you back. It’s time to step up and into the position that He is trying to place you in.
Do you have certain weaknesses that especially stick out to you? Don't let the lies of the enemy dictate your limits. Allow God to be shown through your weakness and get out of your own head. You are good enough because God made you enough. You are not alone because God is with you.
Please share with me your weakness that is stopping you from your future goals. Let's defeat those lies together one action step at a time!
Email me to receive a FREE 30-minute clarity call. I promise you will gain the confidence you need to make the first step in conquering that goal!
P.S. - I have some exciting news! I will be teaching a second CELEBRATE WOMEN Group Coaching Class starting March 25 at 9am. Please email me if you would like to sign up.
With Love and Blessings,
Nikki Wright
Life Coach