Tag: self-doubt

I Believe You

February 23, 2026

I want you to listen to this song by Megan Woods. It should speak to you even if you do not believe Him at this point in your life. Music is an excellent way for Jehovah to reach us. That is why He gave it to His people.

King David wrote songs. Our Bible calls them Psalms, and there are more than just what is in that book. Most of us know at least some of the Twenty-Third Psalm. It is the one that begins, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Remember it now? Look it up and read it.

Megan tells us at the opening of this song some things that we do not want to admit. We tell others that we are O.K. Do we really expect others to believe this lie? We can tell if someone says this that they are not fine. We are all lost at some point in our lives.

It is easier to doubt. I doubted it at one time in my life. People in my Church let me down. They fired our pastor, again. It wasn’t the first time they had disappointed me in the way they acted. These were Deacons in the Church. They should know better.

I dropped out of that body of believers. I was questioning Yahweh, I was refusing to believe them, not Him. I believe that He is fighting for me. At that time, I needed to have it proven to me, and they were not doing that for me. Later, a new pastor visited me and invited me to a class for college-age students.

I believed him even though I did not know him, because he came with one of my best friends and invited me to join that group. Because of his ministry, I changed my mind about what I was to do in my life. God showed me He wanted me to attend a different college. I believed Him.

I did not see what He had for me. I liked writing stories, and my story wasn’t finished. I followed His plot, not my own. I have doubts. Not Him, I have been unsure of myself, and if I was hearing what I thought I was being told. I’ve asked for confirmation and always received it when I was willing to listen.

Do you want to understand what you are being told? He wants you to listen to what Jesus said when He was here on this planet. I know people tell you that is a myth. Check it out for yourself. I have researched what is said about this man. He did live. He was murdered. He did nothing to deserve death. You know this happens.

He was God, He could have stopped it. He did not because the plan was for His life to be given for you and me. I got that when I was a kid, did you? Have you forgotten when you believed it? Trust Him again like I did when I was in college. He wants to be your savior and your guide.

We use the term, Lord. That just means that you are willing to follow what He tells you. Remember that Psalm, the one that is numbered twenty-three. He is your shepherd, just watch what he does and follow Him. It is that easy. Try it, you’ll like it.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

Living in a dumpster

September 5, 2025

I have a granddaughter who can be very creative in her expressions. She isn’t the only one. All my children and grandchildren have developed expressive ways. Some are musical, artistic, or technically endowed. This young lady was having trouble with a school assignment and said that she would fail the class and end up living in a dumpster behind a convenience store.

Many of us have unfounded self-doubts.  I never had this problem while in school. My difficulty was in overestimating my abilities as far as schoolwork was concerned. Instructors and the way they grade subjectively confuse some students. Other teachers play games with testing, hoping to trick students.

I gave myself two assignments, which were in literature or other writing classes, to learn what they wanted. Math, science, and other more objective subjects were easier. The answers were correct or incorrect. Writing is not that way. Everyone has their opinion of what you say and how you say it.

My two self-imposed assignments for creative assignments like term papers or essays were to determine if the instructor wanted technically perfect work or more creative, idealistic projects. Sometimes I discovered that they wanted both. It took one or two grades to make this decision.

I appreciate your opinion; however, it will not change the way I express myself. Like my columns or not. That is your choice. My decision is to say what I want, not for your approval. Most of my motivation is from what Jehovah tells me. I don’t take polls to determine what to say.

I know some of you are also creative people. You may write, paint, or create other artistic works. Where we find our inspiration and ideas for what we produce is a question that those who want to do the same may have trouble with.

As I did for this column, my thoughts come from real life. I accept this as a way that God uses to inspire me. I do not believe that I am naturally creative. You may not agree with or like what I say. It does come from my head. I hope that you give credit for anything good I say to Him and not me.

There is a file on my computer with dozens of columns that I have started, and I add to from time to time. This piece began over a year ago. Many changes have been made during that time. I do not remember exactly where I wanted to go when I wrote the first words. Some day I may use this same phrase or some of the others she and the other grandkids use for another creation. Who knows if I can remember where those ideas came from?

I hope my future generations learn this from me. The conversation that sparked this column had several phrases that my wife read to me when our daughter explained the situation with her freshman. I hope that when she sees this piece and the fiction story that will come later, she will see how these simple ideas can become something more. Good ideas can be found all around us.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger