by Allie Marie Smith
I fell in love with this print by artist Masako Kubo – it’s such a beautiful, visual reminder to clothe yourself with confidence each morning.
From thirteen to eighteen all I wanted was to feel confident. The irony was, the harder I tried at being confident in and of myself (by striving to have the perfect look, get perfect grades and be the perfect girl), the more insecure I became.
My definition of confidence changed after hitting rock bottom at 18 – ending up in a hospital room signing papers that I was a danger to myself. The great news was that as everything I had placed my worth in was taken from me, I was free to put my hope and confidence in the God who created me, loved me in my brokenness and held my future in His hand.
I thought it would be fitting to share this quote with you from Leslie Ludy. We’ve shared it on here before and even included it in chapter two, “The Three Keys of Confidence,” of our new bible study “Wonderfully Made: Becoming Who You Are in Christ.” If you wrestle with your sense of value, purpose or worth and want to know your true identity we encourage you to pick up a copy and go through it individually or with some girlfriends.
The most beautiful women I’ve ever observed are those that have exchanged and self-focused life for a Christ-focused one. They are confident, but not in themselves. Instead of self-confidence, they radiate with Christ-confidence. They aren’t spending their time trying to feel better about themselves of inhabiting their own beauty. They aren’t even thinking about themselves. Their desire is to decrease, so that Jesus Christ would increase.”
-Leslie Ludy
