Do you like to play games? Card games or board games? With our kids it was Uno which moved along faster than Monopoly, whew! We played Rummy and Trivial Pursuit with our friends. Now it’s Taboo and Apples to Apples.
We only play them once or twice a year at gatherings but there’s a game I play a lot. If I’m honest, I probably play it at least once a day. Maybe you do too. It’s a guessing game called Second-Guessing. Have you heard of it?
It goes like this: you’ve gotten dressed for a special event and then you think, maybe I should wear a dress instead of pants. Or the work version of the game where you’ve worked on the media for a special event and it’s all good until you get there and you start thinking you should have used a different background and why didn’t you choose the other font?
Here’s a version I bet we’ve all played a few times: we write a blog post that comes together and everything about it feels right and then….nothing. It just sits there in cyber space with seemingly no connections made. We must not be much of a writer after all.
Second-guessing is a kinder term for the bully known as doubt. Oh, we Christians don’t much like to admit it but this doubt? Yep, we are eat up with it. It feels like I second-guess my way through life all the time praying, “I believe, help my unbelief.” This is my mantra.
For me, the cure is to step back from social media for a bit. Step back from comparison which is always the thief of joy. To step back from myself and into His grace. Grace gives room for our doubt that’s entwined with belief. I do believe, Lord. But please, help my unbelief.
Linking up with Kate Motaung and a host of lovelies for a weekly 5-minute free writing prompt. Beginning October 1, I will be participating in a writing challenge called #write31days. I hope you’ll stick with me as I second-guess myselfย through posting everyday in October!
This is great, you hit all of my triggers, work, writing, family. Glad I was your FMF neighbor.
You aren’t alone Sabrina! Good to walk through this with other doubting believers ๐
Oh, I’ve played the second-guessing game. And yes, even on my blogpost about Doubt. Oy. And you’re right, comparison often feeds into doubt. The blessing/curse of social media is we can see how others are doing in life. We can be glad for them, but we also can compare ourselves to them. I like your idea of stepping away from social media for a time. Good thoughts here!
Irony – doubting your post on doubt ๐ I need to step away from social media a lot more, Jeanne. Thanks for stopping by and adding your voice to the conversation.
My mantra with you…If you find a way to destroy and conquer – please share!!! ๐
Don’t worry, Jude, I’ll shout it out loud! ๐
I do have one weapon. 2 Cor 10:3-5 and others ๐ I also want a no return policy!!!
So true, I also play that game! Really like your analogy with the game… Lots of strength and joy as you take on the #write31days challenge!
Thanks, Katha. Are you joining the write31days? I’m trying to prepare but I think it’s still going to be a bit crazy. Sometimes crazy can be good, right? ๐
Yes, I am in as well. Will be writing about Setting Healthy Boundaries!
Hi Debby….oh, who on Earth hasn’t played the second-guessing game….?! [I also went with doubt as a bully idea this week]…..if only we could learn to have the same faith in ourselves that we place in Him….then we’d be invincible! Helen xx
I think you hit on it, Helen. If I were invincible what need would I have for God? Funny how some of the things that frustrate us most serve us best. Thanks for helping me think about that a bit more.
Oh, absolutely: we don’t learn if we don’t come up against resistance/frustration/bumps in the road. “Nothing worth having ever comes easy” as my Dad would say ๐ …isn’t this the joy (one of the joys) of FMF? I find I’m always finding things/snippets that make me think totally outside my box. I always but always feel invigorated after reading FMF posts….Helen xx
Debby,, I’m so thankful for God’s grace. I think this is many of ours mantra: “I believe, help my unbelief.โ Apples to Apples is one of my fave board games too. I’m parked over in the #11 spot this week.
Hi Tara. I think I stopped by your place today, gee, I better double check the way I get names messed up! My nieces introduced me to Apples to Apples. It’s a game the whole family can play together which makes it fun.
Eye opening post. Second-guessing touches so many areas of our lives, and doubts are at the root of it.
Yes, doubt is very invasive. Maybe it’s what helps us cling more to God’s keeping.
2nd guess, 3rd guess, 4th guess. How many times can I change my clothes when I’m getting ready to go out. Sometimes I remind myself that no one else really cares, so it really doesn’t matter. HA! And the post that goes unnoticed? I think we’ve ALL dealt with that. Great words today Debby!
Definitely, Christy. Sometimes I just have to say to myself, “Get over yourself!” ๐
The 2nd guessing game is not my favorite but I find myself to playing it all the time. It seems that we all play it more often than we should.
PS. I am so glad you are joining in on #write31days.
Thanks Amy. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other #write31days ๐
I just love how you always gather me in with your story at the beginning of your post. Starting with the idea of playing games had me convinced of the game of second guessing. Yep, I pray for the same. Help my unbelief and my self defeating game of second guessing.
I’m so glad, Gabriele. I like to think of myself as a storyteller so that is welcome encouragement, indeed. We all know this game too well, don’t we? If there’s one positive, it’s that it seems to keep us calling out to God, “help my unbelief!”