The feelings of insecurity come upon me
Anytime I feel the urge to do something extra-ordinary
“What if I fail,” I hear a whisper
“What if I stumble, what if I fall, and what if it does not work out as planned,” I think to myself
The whisper increases in intensity
Getting louder every second
And soon I believe it wholeheartedly
I forget about my original plans to do extra-ordinary things
And I go on living life like I have always done
Never getting the courage to explore and discover new ways of being the person God created me to be

Sometimes I would walk into a room
And I hear the whispers,
“What are you doing here? You are not wanted.”
And for a long time, I believed in those whispered lies
I kept to myself, not sharing myself with others
Because I was afraid to let go of all my insecurities
Afraid to take risks
Afraid to be me

But I soon became tired,
Weary of doing less than what I was capable of
Of being indoors
When my heart desire was to be outside,
Laughing and enjoying life
And then I finally listened to another voice
That had been there all along
A voice that had encouraged me to launch out
A voice that quietly rebuked me when I ignored His instructions
And told me to go on even when I failed as I tried to take off into the unknown

And so I stand now
Willing to go out there
Ready to try new things
Willing to discover me anew
And to see the world in a new light
Yes the old voice that whispers “you can’t succeed” is still there
But I have decided to pay no attention to it
I am saying goodbye fear
And welcome courage and confidence
I will listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice
He knows what is best for me
To walk in Christ Jesus’s strength
As He leads me as I go out to do great works
Despite the great trials that will follow
For I am God’s daughter,
Therefore fear has no dominion over me.

Bethany-Angel Chijindu© February 2012