confidence

Let your light shine — Lent Reflection One (of Eight)

~ carlyriordan ~ Leave a comment

Let your light shine

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,
In accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
Romans 12:3

Whenever I have the opportunity to do anything I feel called to, whether it be writing, leading, or pastoring, I have a mix of feelings. Part of me feels a sense of confidence that “I was born for this,” and the other part of me feels deeply inadequate, like “I am completely out of my depth”. While overconfidence is unattractive and causes us to do things in our own strength, feeling inadequate can lead to paralysis and an unwillingness to step up and give it a go. So, what is the correct way to view ourselves? Continue reading →

Self-worth struggles and a Covenant of Life

~ carlyriordan ~ 2 Comments

When I was in the final stages of editing my book I came across this passage:

‘Black baggy clothes were my staple attire—my best efforts to hide the body I was ashamed of. In my mind, the few extra kilos I carried were enough to make me want to hide. But imagining the future forced me to realise I didn’t want to be a wife with body image issues, a lack of confidence, constantly belittling myself. God valued me, and I needed to start valuing myself.

Continue reading →

Spirit Led Boots

~ carlyriordan ~ 8 Comments

bootsIs God is interested in the everyday ordinary details of our lives? I am continuing to ponder this question…

About six months ago I was in the middle of a rather lengthy pursuit to find the perfect pair of leather boots. At the height of my chase I had driven an hour and a half to the only store within a 100km radius that had ‘the ultimate pair’ still in my size. They looked perfect but as I tried them on I quickly realised that they hardly fit, even without a sock.  Continue reading →

Fear that leads…

~ carlyriordan ~ 11 Comments
person mountain snow
Image by Ezra Davies Photography

Regardless of how long I have been leading worship I still find myself constantly wondering if I am cut out for the task. My hurdle of late has been fear. Fear about saying the wrong thing, saying too much, saying too little, fear in general that I am missing the mark and potentially affecting someone experience of God.  Continue reading →