As a teenager I leaned into the mindset of inferiority. That mindset not only blinded me to my strengths but to the purpose for which I was created. Consequently, blinding thought patterns of insecurity and rejection dominated my teenage years. They became the standard by which I made every decision. I chose second best options in relationships, academics and even outside interests. By default, my identity anchored itself in the fog of hopelessness. I needed an intervention.
Known as the wisest Hebrew writer, Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:4-5 the following:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”
This principle holds true for everyone. Wherever we lean our thinking, trust or faith, a path appears. Our thinking creates a path. Contrary to what I was thinking back then, my peers leaned into their strengths and talents. I lived clueless. The path they pursued mirrored where they leaned, as did mine. My second-best thinking stifled everything. Our thinking becomes the prism through which we view our past, present and future.
The Good News for me came in my early twenties. Even though I didn’t know Proverbs 3:4-5, by chance I tapped into its principle. I changed where I was leaning. An encounter with Jesus radically altered my perception of myself. When I acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Saviour, my life did a paradigm shift. Yes it was emotional but emotions aren’t transformational. The Word of God is transformational. My followup to making Jesus Lord was to habitually read what He said. I devoured His words. I began to see myself differently because I began to think
of myself differently.
Much of my new identity in Christ found its foundation in the writings of the Apostle Paul. Philippians, Chapter 4, verse 13 challenged what was left of my insecurities. Paul writes that he learned that he could “do all things through Christ who strengthened him”. I began to learn that Paul knew what he was writing about. I leaned into this truth with all my heart.
Today this simple truth empowers my on-going transformation. I know without a doubt that Wherever we lean our thinking, a path will appear. It’s just that simple.
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