I hated feeling this way…uneasy and so uncertain. If only I knew what what was making my emotions so wobbly. If only I could name it. Then I could figure out what to do about it.
One day He showed me. It was doubt. Not fear or worry, but self-doubt that made me question everything I thought, felt and said. I didn’t like it, but naming it helped me know how to pray. Naming it led me to confessions I needed to make and promises I could claim. Naming it made me feel like I could finally stand up to it.
Recently I spent some time with my friend, Ann Voskamp. Leah and I visited with her family on their farm in Ontario. While we were there, II was reading a chapter in Ann’s book, One Thousand Gifts, where she talks about the power of naming things. How essential it is to our healing and hope.
We spent time on the porch talking and Leah recorded our conversation so we’d be able to share it with you. It’s so good to know we’re not alone in our doubts and fears. As you’ll see, Ann and I had many that overshadowed our lives for so long, but we found healing and hope once we learned to them. Would you join us on the porch? Be sure to turn up the volume. A truck or tractor passes and it gets kind of loud. <Also, if you are reading this via email, just click on the post title to see the video on my website>
I love how Ann shared, “When you don’t have a name for something, you’re haunted by it’s shadows…But when you can name something… It loses it’s mask and you can find a strategy to deal with it.” (One Thousand Gifts)
Join us Friday…Ann and I kept talking, and we’d love for you to join us again on the porch. I could have talked with her all day! We’ll be back Friday to share more. If you’d like a reminder, simply put your email in the update box at the top of my website, and I’ll slip you a note in your inbox when it’s posted.
We have a few gifts… Would you leave us a little note by clicking “Share your thoughts” below this post. We’d love for you to be part of the conversation, too. And I’m giving away 3 signed copies of Ann’s book, so I”ll draw names from the notes you leave here.
One last thing… I wanted to share how Jesus has been working behind the scenes knowing the topic of today’s post. I’ve been receiving notes from many of you reading my Confident Heart devotions in The 7-day Doubt Diet. Just this week, here is what two of you wrote:
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“Renee, I just finished reading the Introduction and the first chapter of A Confident Heart . Thank you so much for writing a book like this and knowing exactly what it’s called that I’m going and have gone through all my life and didn’t know what it was called. ~ Sharon
“I’ve always doubted myself, but like you I called my different names. It felt so good to know and hear that I am not alone and that I can find my God-Confidence. ~ Megin
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I smiled, knowing it was all HIM!! You are on His heart and in His thoughts, my friends. And if you are curious, maybe now wanting to read Chapter 1 of my book, I’d love to share it with you.
Remember to “share your thoughts” below so I can choose the winners of the 3 signed copies of Ann Voskamp’s New York Times Best-Seller, One Thousand Gifts . I’ll announce the winners next Monday. And since we talked about overcoming self-doubts, I’ll tuck in a copy of my book with each of Ann’s for the three of you who win.
If you are reading this via email, please click on the post title to “share your thoughts” on my website and enter the drawing.
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Giving “it” a name. Now there is something I can get on board with. Just this morning I was lying in bed and thinking about a fitness class I am starting in August. It’s for a college credit, and I don’t want to take it. It’s not that it’s a bad class, I am…….well lets name this…..Scared Intimidated Discouraged. We will call it SID for short. As I was lying there I thought well I could just drop the class and take it in the Spring then I would have more time to get in shape for it. Then your Doubt Diet, Renee, came to mind like a lightning bolt. There it is! The doubt was creping in, and throwing me all the reasons why I couldn’t do it. Then I stopped and said forget it…..I am doing this class! I will give it my all, and I will see great results through the help of God. Thanks Renee for your book, and now introducing me to “One Thousand Gifts”. I would love to win this set. This is His time for Me! Thanks!
I really appreciate your devotionals on Proverbs 31. It is such good advise to remember what the Lord says about us and to not to base our self worth on what “man” thinks. Looking forward to reading your book, “A Confident Heart” . I have read the 7 Day Doubt Diet and am going to refer to it in times of need. These readings have helped me as a mother of four daughters ages 15-24 to encourage me in my mothering skills and to encourage them as teens to women. It has also helped me in my leadership role and the daily challenges faced as a critical care nurse too.
Thank-you
Renee, thanks for sharing this post. I enjoy reading anything and everything that you post because it all seems so relevant to the phase of life I am in right now. I was dealt a particularly rough blow yesterday and Satan was working over-time to make sure that I didn’t recover any time soon. Lately, I’ve been reading your blogs, P31 daily devotionals, and working on an independent Bible study so that I can stay immersed in the Word, thus preparing myself to be a more effective tool to be used against Satan. Thank you for the inspiration that you bring to myself and so many others. God Bless!
I have had so much going on in my life lately that it was hard to focus on God. But as I started to set quietly and continue to Thank him for his many blessing each day and naming them one by one, I began to feel such a peace about life and it’s struggles. God knows just what we need every day. Thank you for sharing what God has shown you.
Wow! It’s amazing how God works with me to help me understand. A couple of weeks ago I was talking with my sister about everything that’s going on in my life. She asked me exactly what she needed to pray for, but I had no idea. I knew how I was feeling but couldn’t “name it”. Then the doubt diet was introduced! I haven’t exactly figured it out yet, but so excited that now I know to name it in order to have control over it!
Thank you for looking past your fears and doing what you have been lead to do! Through you, God has shown me how to fight the enemy & to put a name on everything good and bad.
Believing in Him, Kara
Thanks so much for these 7 days. It has been a huge awakening for me. I didn’t understand what I was dealing with until I started reading these daily devotions from you.
God Bless You!
I don’t think I knew I was struggling with self doubt. I don’t think I thought that doubting myself was something that I needed to correct, something that was keeping me from doing all God has for me to do. I don’t often doubt Him. But I doubt myself and in doing so, I am doubting His ability to overcome my obstacles to success. I just didn’t realize it. What an eye opening devotional!
I love Him so much. He is everything. His love, compassion, faithfulness, mercy, joy, light, hope, peace….fill my empty spaces. I am so empty without Him. And so humbled that He loves me and you. We know how undeserving we are.
I want to do and be all He has called me to do and be, to His glory…
Wow, The last few weeks of your posts have gently allowed Christ to pry open areas of my heart. Today Ann’s concept of naming things to dispel the haunting shadows is drawing more to His light. Thank you for you teaching in this.
I loved reading Ann’s blog a out love and patience. I thought her story was a beautiful reminder to be thankful for the moment in order to be patient.
I had a naming experience this week. It was not what I wanted it to be but now that I have named it I know exactly what to do with it and how to pray about it. Your devotion just put everything in perspective and really helped me understand what I am experiencing.
I can’t thank you enough for your knowledge and the work that you do to bring us closer to our God.
Blessings!!!
Thank you for sharing this. I had a child with ADHD, he is 21 now, but when he was four and I didn’t know why he was acting the way he was it was terrible. Then I saw a new program about kids with ADHD, I felt such relief that it had a name and it wasn’t just me being a terrible mother.
I cant wait to get your book. I am hoping that I can get a group together to do the study together. Thank you for allowing God to work through you to reach many of us!
Just Wonderful! I learned to name things a long time ago. Naming things helped me to deal with my issues in a more realistic manner, rather than trying to fight an unknown enemy. What I did not realize and learned from watching this video was the value from God that is placed on the concern when we name it. Hearing you say the reason God named the animals was an awesome revelation for me! I didn’t realize by naming things I was inviting The Lord into my thought processes, this is so freeing! I have so more to say about how thankful I am for watching this but it would take all day and most of your space. So, I will just say Thank you, thank you, thank you for opening my eyes, my heart, and my thought processes in a wonderful new way!
i, for some reason, am feeling anxiety in thinking about naming things in those dark places. i have been dealing with some not such terrific issues from my past since an emotional breakdown a few months ago. there are several incidents from my past that i just can’t remember details….exactly what happened. just knowing that it happened. i so want to move away from the damage that it caused me and, subsequently, what it caused in my daughters. anger, unforgiveness, shame…are all familiar words. but is that enough “naming” to bring about the complete healing that i know the Lord has for my family.
it is so easy to now name the thousands of blessings (i am known for embellishing facts) so i am going to endeavor to write them down…and count to see how many there are. and i know, in my heart, it will be in the thousands. God has been so good and merciful and gracious in my life….and i am sooo in awe of what He has done, is doing, and is going to do, i can’t wait to start the count!!!!
God’s blessings as you open up yet another piece to completeness in the Lord!!!
I recently have gone through some of the same things of which you speak above. God lead me to a Christian counselor. After getting some of these forgotten issues, my counselor directed me to another Christian counselor that does EMDR. This was miraculous for me and allowed me to completely heal. Google this and see if it is for you.
Self doubt is one of my biggest challenges. I often feel like I am not valuable and have been trying to change that in my heart. Thank you for having the courage to share and help me know there is a way to overcome self doubt.
thank you , doubting my self and knowing what to do about it has been on my mind and in my prayers as of late. this Web site has given me some direction. God never lets a person on there own, He’s always sending help in some form in some way when we need it. It’s good to know others in Christ so open to share
This message struck a chord with me this morning. It was just what I needed. Isn’t He wonderful!! I can’t wait to hear more.
Thank you so much for your heart felt discussion with Ann on the porch. I too felt as if I was there with you both. I have had the self doubt feelings for so long. My mother died when I was only 5 years old and it just seems that the struggles have been ongoing for so many years. I am currently out of work trying to get disability due to severe fibromyalgia and chronic fatique syndrome and spend a lot of time feeling that I am not worthy, that I am a burden and I can not even begin to put in words how much this has helped me. I would be honored if I was choosen to receive a copy of both books. Thank you so much for allowing our Precious Lord and Savior to work through you, which allows you to help women such as myself. Love in Christ
This was an awesome word today. To name the things, good and bad, in our life and bring them into the light of Christ-awesome. It sure gives me something to reflect on as I go through my day today! Thanks for sharing!
There’s a certain freedom in “naming it”….took me nearly 50 years to realize that, but still have to remind myself often. Thanks for the post!
Wow… I would love to have the opportunity to sit on a porch and chat with the two of you! It felt like I was there! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your heart through your book and then sharing with us Ann’s book too. I have thought of reading hers on several occasions but just hadn’t gotten it yet. Now I look forward to adding that to my list of “must read”.
Blessings to you today!