Developing confidence can be difficult. Start today with these small and simple steps.
Sometimes I struggle with knowing where I stand. I tend to become anxious when I think too much about what my purpose is in my friend group, among my roommates, or with my coworkers. Even though I know that I am loved and accepted, this stress is real and sometimes overwhelming. In a more spiritual sense, I do not always know what my standing is with God. I know he loves me and provides for me, but it is still pretty tricky to get a feel for a relationship when one side does not come over to hang out or call to catch up.
PHOTO BY ANNI ROENKAE
Even though it can be difficult, there are ways to see yourself the way God sees you. Elder Jörg Klebingat shares suggestions for increasing your spiritual confidence in his talk “Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence.” These suggestions include taking responsibility for your physical and spiritual well-being, learning how to effectively repent and forgive, and taking the trials of life in stride.
In this talk, Elder Klebingat shares the story of a young woman who, like me, struggled with her spiritual and temporal confidence. He shared his advice to her as encouragement to all of us: “Acknowledge and face your weaknesses, but don’t be immobilized by them, because some of them will be your companions until you depart this earth life. No matter what your current status, the very moment you voluntarily choose honest, joyful, daily repentance by striving to simply do and be your very best, the Savior’s Atonement envelops and follows you, as it were, wherever you go. Living in this manner, you can truly ‘always retain a remission of your sins’ (Mosiah 4:12) every hour of every day, every second of every minute, and thus be fully clean and acceptable before God all the time.”
While the steps he encourages are simple, they aren’t necessarily easy. But, as we do our best. we will receive the strengthening help of the Holy Ghost and confidence before God.
Source: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng
—Sierra Smart
FEATURE IMAGE BY PAOLO TRABATTONI