Many years ago, I was asked to take on the duties of Second Reader at my Christian Science Society, but for as long as I could remember any activity that required speaking in public had been fraught with anxiety for me. Even as a child, something as simple as talking to a store clerk or responding to a teacher’s question had been difficult.
Many of my life decisions were influenced by a feeling of inadequacy, to the extent that I avoided certain job opportunities and weighed personal friendships through that lens. Although I took steps to address these fears, nothing seemed to work for long and I’d find myself sliding back into fear and self-condemnation.
In the Bible we read of Moses overcoming his own fear and inadequacies. When God told him to speak to the children of Israel, to lead them from captivity in Egypt, Moses didn’t feel up to the task. He said to the Lord, “I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” And the Lord replied, “Who hath made man’s mouth? . . . Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say” (Exodus 4:10–12).
