It wasn’t long ago I started to question “Is trusting yourself Biblical?”.

I had struggled with my brand identity (and identity) for so long torn between what I felt like I “had to do” to appease my ideal client or the masses and what I actually “wanted” to do.

And wait, is it wrong to “want” to do something in my business or express myself a certain way?? Cue the circle talk and stuckness…🤦‍♀️

I kept going through the marketing motions of posting on social, choosing stock photos, and writing in ways that followed all the marketing “rules”. But eventually the strain on my soul, the misalignment with my purpose, and the resentment I harbored left me totally unfulfilled and stuck in my business. I mean, what good is hitting your goals when you aren’t even happy or spiritually satisfied, Amen??

I knew deep down this brand identity I had created wasn’t God’s best for me. I knew that He created me to be ME and He wanted me to share all that I was–not out of pride, but because He lives in me and we’re called to reflect His image.

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” -Genesis 1:26

But the image I was portraying wasn’t Him (or me), it was who I thought I was supposed to be and how I thought I had to portray Him.

My faith growth coach kindly pointed out that I kept resisting who He created me to be. She reminded me that the things I want, the branding identity I kept saying I “couldn’t” be, was exactly who I was created to be and by not honoring that I had created all this resentment towards my work and ultimately wasn’t honoring God with my gifts.

1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

A few weeks went by and same said faith growth coach showed up on Instagram talking about how her pastor had shared the well-known passage about Jesus calling Peter to walk on water and how when he took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink.

Matthew 14: 29-31 “ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “Ye of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

And she shared how we all think that “ye of little faith” was the disappointment from Jesus about his lack of faith in Him, but the pastor shared that the “ye of little faith” was talking about how he didn’t have faith in himself to walk on the water.

‘Why don’t you have faith in you like I have faith in you?’ is how she paraphrased his response.

Her story was a legit answer to a prayer I had asked myself months prior:

Is trusting yourself Biblical?? Can I really trust myself?

Like can we really trust our dreams, self-expression, intuitions, and desires? Is it Biblical to do that??

Friends, I know the technical answer to “Is trusting yourself Biblical?”  is “No.”. I understand as a Christian that we trust in God alone and that anyone who trusts in himself is a fool (Prov: 28:26). That’s not what my question was about during my brand identity crisis.

I wasn’t wondering can we trust in ourselves alone. I wasn’t questioning if I’m somehow owed the desires of my heart or if I should just do whatever I want without regard to Jesus.

Instead, I wondered can I be all that He created me to be? Can I express myself in a way that I want that I believe glorifies and worships him (even when it looks different from everyone else) AND be successful? Can I choose black or bold imagery when the rest of the world isn’t or talk about my imperfections in a sea of Instagram perfection??

Yes friends, YES WE CAN. But we have to trust ourselves too. Here’s what I mean:

We have to trust that we were uniquely made. Genesis 1:27

We have to trust that we all have unique gifts. 1 Peter 4:10

We have to trust that His vision is our vision and we’re equipped to answer the call. Exodus 4:12

We have to trust that His power lives in us. Romans 6:10-11

We have to trust that we’re enough. 1 John 3:1

We have to trust that our unique personality, likes, dislikes and how we express ourselves is how we’re divinely made. Psalms 139:14

He wants us to rest and embrace all that we are….ALL THAT HE IS WITHIN US. So yes, I do think it’s ok to trust yourself. Lean into your intuitions, trust the Spirit within you, and cut yourself some slack sister!

He wants us to have what we want- not in a prosperity/sugar daddy way, but in a “honor your unique gifts and expressions”  and “bear witness to God” way.

I promise He won’t take away the plan He has for you just because you chose pink or black or some other branding element, k?? #doyouboo #forHisglory

When we learn to trust ourselves (Resting fully in and embracing our unique identity in who we are in Him) we:

Won’t feel the resentment to our work
We’ll honor Him with how we uniquely  express ourselves
We’ll create more authentic brands
We’ll quench our spiritual thirst
We’ll unleash all that He created us to be so He gets all the glory.

And we’ll give others permission to do the same.

Your turn:

Is there something you’ve been longing to do or express in your business or life? Is there a vision that God has laid on your heart that you don’t trust yourself enough to pursue? Why don’t you trust yourself? Why don’t you believe in you like Jesus believes in you?? Write down the vision and ask Him to reveal His wisdom.

How can you start reflecting more of who He is through you today?

Prayer:

Lord I praise you for fearfully and wonderfully creating me just as you see fit. You know the number of hairs on my head, my unique gifts and talents, and I pray that you give me the wisdom and strength to fully embrace them. Continue to refine me and let all that you are and created me to be to pour out onto others and let your image shine. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

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