Any life regrets? Here is one Common Reason...

Have you ever done something that you regret doing in the past? I have. I regret passing up on opportunities because I confused my timidity for shyness. For instance, when I was in secondary school, I was presented with the golden chance of being the school's head girl. I turned it down. In university, someone walked up to me one day and asked, "Why are you unsocial ?" I merely smiled and waved it off with a few casual comments. I didn't take it to heart...as usual. That would not be the first time anyone would say such to me. I have heard it time and time again. I merely dismissed it as a figment of their imagination. Little did I realize I was hiding in the cocoon of timidity and this, unknown to me, was bad for human relations. I didn't know my little charade puts people off. I was blind. When I look back at the opportunities I missed, opportunities I would have used to make an impact in so many lives in the past, the more I see how naive and foolish I was. Though unfortunately, I won't be able to go back through time to those days, yet fortunately for me, I've learnt and I'm still learning from this past. I regret not properly maximizing my potential because I didn't recognize the signal for a change when I got them. My shyness was my excuse.
But today, I see it differently. I wasn't just being shy. I was being timid. Shyness was just a milder and more harmless term for timidity. My ignorance played me. Thank God for His word. He opened my eyes to see and I saw that the spirit He has given me is a bold and confident spirit, not a timid or shy spirit. It can pose as a hindrance when we practice our faith especially in relating with people around us. Do you remember 2Tim 1:7 that says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control." Ever since I knew this truth, I worked to walk in it. Shyness had hindered me, put people off me, made me miss opportunities and now in the light of God's Word, I see it's God's desire that I be bold and confident. Our boldness and confidence should spring from the fact that we know who we are in Christ Jesus. If you are presently experiencing this same thing, rise up and discard that cloak of shyness. Don't let the devil deceive you that it is harmless. But you may ask,"How can I discard this? How can I take off this shyness mentality?".

Just start by making a deliberate attempt to. "...but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."Rom 12:2 Look at that scripture and pray alongside. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Walk in bold confidence, no inferiority complexes because you are born of God. Be bold as a lion for your God is the lion of the tribe of Judah. So don't be intimidated by anyone or anything. You are meant to stand before kings and great men. Don't be shy. Don't be timid. Stand up and shine for Christ.