It was my first day at a new schoolβmidyear, where everyone knew each other and no one knew me.
Nine years old and naive, I had yet to understand the insecurity that clothed my spirit.
From my first timid step off the school bus that day, till the final bell rang after class, I wore a long red coat; total extra for the wink of winter a southern season contains.
Walking unfamiliar halls as the new girl wearing a bulky red coat, indoors and out, can set you apart in a way that doesnβt serve your social life well; I donβt recommend it. Yet, my antsy insecurity found comfort in my cocoon of a coat that day.
Despite the awkward start, eventually Iβd lose my timidity in that new school, but never would I lose the insecurity that gripped my spirit. Long have I lacked an innate confidence to believe I belong.
As the years grew, I sensed God working in my life and trusted He had plans for me. Yet, I still struggled to confidently enter any space believing I was enough to belong.
This mistaken mindset, however, began to shed its grip on me when God met me in the center of my insecurity one day and traded new life for old lies.
That day, as I attempted to skim over a familiar Bible passage, the Lord prompted me to linger with the words rather than rush past them, and I read these truths afresh:
βYou saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!β (Psalm 139:16-17, NLT)
And, in the quiet of that moment, I felt a freedom I hadnβt known before, as the truth of Godβs eternal heart for me covered my spirit with a comfort like no other.
In this passage David declared to God: You saw me before I was born, recognizing that before heβd ever spied a ray of light or cried a breath of life, his very person was intimately known by God.
This is our confidence: Before we had an earthly identity, God regarded us!
Before oxygen filled our lungs, the Lord laid out every moment of our lives according to His purpose. God hasnβt simply recorded the hours weβve already spent, ratherβfrom the second He sketched our identities, through the futures weβve yet to reach, He has borne witness to it all.
Oh, friend, we can confidently believe we belong anywhere He places us, because the Ancient of Days, our eternal God, has made it His business to know and adore us, and to tenderly record His trustworthy plans for us.
May we reject the enemyβs lie that weβre not enough to belong, for our confidence is grounded in Godβs authority as we walk together with Him into every space Heβs already prepared for us.
No earthly brand of belonging can compare to the belonging we have in God.
Dear friend, the God who saw you ahead of your birth, whose precious thoughts about you are greater than numbers can contain, He recorded purpose for you long before your life existed in time!
Shed every lie of insecurity that drapes your spirit today and walk confidently in the truth that your story is already sealed in Godβs book. You are a woman precious to your Maker and you belong where He places you, for you enter with the authority of His divine script. 
What insecurities can you shed today, friend,
and confidently step into the spaces Godβs set apart for you?
We’d love for you to join the conversation in comments today
at Proverbs 31 Ministries! β₯
Hi Brenda, what a wonderful article, well done.
Bless you, Kevin.
I get so much from your wroting. God has given you such a gift. Thanks so much for sharing it!
This devotion touched me today. My grandson is currently in middle school and is really struggling with insecurity and a longing to fit in and be accepted. I am going to share this verse and parts of this devotion with him this morning. Please keep him in your prayers. The preteen and teen years can be so challenging.
Bless his heart; that’s so hard. Praying for your grandson, Pam. Thank you for stopping by and sharing today. π