Tag Archives: confidence

Want Joy? You’ll Find it Here.

The psalms have been a great encouragement to many over the years and it’s not hard to see why. They speak to our experience of life. In Psalm 86:1-2 David recognizes his need and prays to God. Straightaway we see that when we have a need we can pray to God. What David wants in his life, which at times seems so hard, is joy, verses 3-4. We can know joy despite hardships, if we continue to trust in God as David did throughout it and recognize that God always has a plan and a purpose in it. David knows … Continue reading →

Where is Your Confidence?

Everyday people place their confidence in things. For example when we cross a bridge we have confidence it will hold up and not fall down. Everyday we put confidence in people. Children place their confidence in their parents. As they get older they might place confidence in their peers or in pop stars or sports stars. And young people are often told they need to have confidence in themselves. But the truth is that many of these things and people we place our confidence in let us down. So what can we rely on? The only safe place for our … Continue reading →

Do You Feel Less Capable Than Others?

Insecurities and self-consciousness can plague a single parent. The simple fact that we may have fewer resources and have suffered a set-back or two can cause us to feel as though we are less deserving or less capable at things than other people. Of course this feeling of “less” is rooted in low self-esteem, but what can we do to feel as though we are as capable as anyone else? Identifying that you are, in fact, feeling less capable or qualified is the first step. Many of us can go along for years refusing to go after that promotion, or … Continue reading →

Underestimating Your Abilities

While there may be some of us who think we are all that and the best thing to enter the world of home businesses since Martha Stewart (who started her empire as a caterer all those years ago), many of us feel just the opposite. We may feel self-conscious, ignorant and completely unprepared to take on the building of a home business. For most of us, our insecurity results in us underestimating what abilities we truly do have. When we underestimate what we are capable of, we are really selling ourselves short. We might not take risks or push ourselves … Continue reading →

Self Esteem- A Balanced View

Yesterday we looked at how important it is to build up and encourage our marriage partner. It is also important we have a realistic view of ourselves. Yes, Romans 12:3 says each of us should not‘think more highly of himself than he ought to think.’ Of course this verse applies to women as well. Every woman should not think more highly of herself than she ought to think ‘but to think so as to have sound judgment.’ That also means not doing the opposite and putting ourselves down and feeling inadequate or inferior. We all have a habit of comparing … Continue reading →

The Problem With Over Confidence

Confidence in our abilities can be an asset. As Peter discovered, over-confidence can cause problems if we are not careful. When we look at John 13:31-38 as Jesus prepared for his coming death and shared the last supper with his disciples, we see God glorified through Jesus’ life, verses 31-32. Is God glorified by our lives? Or do we bring God’s name into disrepute by our behavior and words? Jesus would only be with his disciples a short time longer, verse 33. But since His death, resurrection and ascension, He can be with us each day. Are we conscious that … Continue reading →

We Need to Feel a Sense of Competency

We know that we cannot be perfect. I do not know of a single parent who is striving for absolutely perfection (or who will admit to it), but I also know that we can spend a lot of time feeling like we are bumping around in the dark or bumbling along and that is definitely no fun. Part of achieving a sense of peace and happiness in our lives to feel a sense of competency too—whether it is in our parenting, our work, or other areas of our lives. We all need to feel a certain degree of competency. While … Continue reading →

Feelings of Inadequacy

I imagine that all of us wrestle with feelings of inadequacy at one time or another and it is not just us single parents who fight the battle. Still, as single parents, it can often feel like we are climbing up that steep hill with a big rock on our backs and not doing a very good job of it to boot. Where can we go with feelings inadequacy and what can be done to stop them? Personally, I have found that when I succumb to those feelings of inadequacy, I tend to be focusing on external things to define … Continue reading →

Let Them Work on it First, Before You Step In

As most of you know, my children are older–all older teenagers but they all still live at home. Instead of T-ball, simple social spats, and summer camp, we are dealing with things like choosing college and careers, driving, and identity struggles. Still, I find that some parenting techniques that worked well when they were younger and “coming up”–continue to work well. AND, I anticipate that I will be able to modify and use them as they become adults too. One such philosophy is to let the kids work on their problems and struggles first, before I step in and try … Continue reading →

Being the Date I’d Like to Have

I toyed around with how to name this article and decided this is the best I could come up with—the topic is deciding as a single parent that instead of waiting for someone else to come along and be that perfect “movie” date, we decide to be that for ourselves and others. Maybe by making our lives the way we dream, we will attract those people and adventures that we crave… There are certain things that I would absolutely LOVE to have happen in my life—dream dates, adventures, conversations, etc. I think we all have those little scripts playing out … Continue reading →