Armor Yourself In It

"We are going to have to let truth scream louder to our souls than the lies that have infected us."  -Beth Moore

I deal with insecurities a lot.  I constantly have women asking advice on covering up physical insecurities like acne, acne scars, dark spots, redness, etc. Being married to a woman, I see a lot of her insecurities on a day to day basis: "can you fix my hair, it doesn't look good today?  Is this outfit okay?  What shoes should I wear with this?"  I also have my own insecurities.  My face is too red.  I'm too short and too round ESPECIALLY compared to the girls I work with.  My teeth aren't white enough and my skin isn't clear enough.  Insecurities are usually things that we focus on more than the rest of society does.  People are constantly telling me that my skin is beautiful...I'm not being modest when I correct them -- I really don't see it!  The point is, insecurities surround us all.  Many of us hide behind them, but I have a new idea.

What if we began to armor ourselves in our insecurities.  What if we were able to talk about the things that we spend so much time hiding?  What if we let our flaws show and WE decided what is beautiful?  I met a brave girl this week.  She's very strange and has a weird sense of humor.  She doesn't fit in at all in the environment that I met her.  And she is fabulous.  She sees herself as beautiful and entertaining.  And you know what?  She's so happy!  Who cares what anyone else thinks?  She's embracing herself and showing the world that she too can be beautiful.  I think it's awesome!  I love seeing her shine...and when she isn't shining, she doesn't mind.  She just picks herself up and tries again.  I'd like to take her confidence and bottle it for women around the world!

So what does armoring ourselves in our insecurities look like?

1. Wear your suit of confidence.  Regardless of how much life throws at us, if we are confident in who we are and our abilities we can withstand the storms.
2. Put on your helmet of clarity.  The world tells us we need to have perfect skin, perfect hair, the perfect body, and so much more!  Never leave home without your clarity...you are beautiful, despite the pimple that popped up last night!
3. Slip on your boots of happiness.  Strap on those shoes that make you feel pretty and let the world that you are fierce!  Remember that saying, "if the shoe fits?"
4. Last, but possibly most important, never leave home without your shield of truth. Always keep in mind that there are things about yourself that you can't change.  Never give the world the power to bring you down.  You are valuable.  You are loved.  Insecurities are nothing more than the weak attacking the wonderful.

I think if we all strive to be our best selves and focused more on our happiness than the thoughts of those around us, we would live better, more fulfilling lives.  Try on the suit.  It may feel a little stiff the first time.  It may not fit quite right.  But with a little self alterations and a wash or two, you may just start to feel like your insecurities really don't matter that much.

"So long, insecurity.  You've been a bad friend to me."  -Beth Moore