This is Probably Stupid but...

I have an announcement.

Growing up, I was the painfully shy child. While I do have a naturally observant personality, I realized over time if I said, "I'm shy." it was a free pass exempting me from doing anything outside my comfort zone.

It wasn't until I was eighteen that I heard the phrase, "People aren't shy, they're afraid of looking stupid." The lie I'd been using to ward off vulnerability snapped in two.

The fear of looking stupid is a shackle.

I didn't "put myself out there" because I didn't want to fail publicly. I was terrified of what people thought of me if I tried new things. I wanted to *look* like I knew what I was doing. I wasn't shy, I was full of pride.

Thankfully, God worked this freeing truth into my life: His approval of me is all that matters.

If I'm aligning myself with obedience to Him (which includes accountability to a godly, trusted community), if my motive is to bring Him glory, if I surrender the outcome to His good will, what people think of me is inconsequential. This gave me the freedom to "look stupid" according to human terms while knowing God was saying, "Well done, child."

I become braver overnight.

It still stings when a family member (or stranger on the internet) gives me weird feedback about my creative work and I feel misunderstood. I still get angry and let myself cry when a project flops or the response is weak. I'm still petrified to attempt new things. 

But the negative feelings don't keep me from trying. I'm not permanently crippled by opinions or failure. I know now it's all part of the process. I''m no longer weighted down by what someone thinks of my work.

My identity isn't found in what I create, it's anchored in the One who created me. And so is yours.

It’s easy to read that on a screen. It’s much harder to live that out when God is calling you to do scary things; things other’s might not understand or get offended by. Things that might make you look like a ‘failure’.

That’s why this October, I’m launching a new series for paying subscribers on The Redemptive.

If you’ve ever…

• hid behind perfectionism that’s actually it’s rooted in the fear of "looking stupid."

• worried so much about what other’s will think of your choices that you’ve felt paralyzed to make any choice at all.

• needed to know how to live with your identity rooted in the One who created you and not your fear of failure.

…I’ve created this series for you.

This series will be about exploring our fears of what others will think and surrendering it to Jesus. This series will be about establishing healthy boundaries. This series will be about pursuing our creativity to the glory of God—whatever that looks like for you individually.

For $7 a month, you’ll get full access to:

• each post in the series (with accompanying comment sections for private conversations and questions)

• specific tutorials on how to improve your writing and photography so you can post your creative work publicly with confidence

• access to all new series coming to The Redemptive in the future.
  

There's nothing wrong with having a quiet, 'background type' personality. There's everything wrong with using it as an excuse to hide from God's calling on your life.

Sign up now so this October you can step into who God has intended you to be in this world—as a woman, friend, wife, creative, mother or leader.

You'll probably look stupid.

You'll never feel more free.

ps. thanks for reading this post at 8pm on a Friday night (or early morning for my Southern Hemisphere friends, hi!) I can’t say enough how grateful I am that you’re here. Thanks for believing in me and helping me build The Redemptive together.

pps. Did I mention paying subscribers get instant access to my Master Playlist of over 41+ hours of music wholesome, beautifully curated songs?! (this alone is worth the price of admission 😉).