I had the opportunity to hear Carol Kuyendall tell the story of three-year-old Gracie floating into a room full of adults in her pink tutu at a Hearts At Home conference many years ago. Thousands of moms sat in the auditorium listening to Carol talk about the importance of having a childlike heart and not allowing self-consciousness keep us from being whom God created us to be. Several minutes after Carol completed her inspirational talk, she came back out on stage in her pink tutu receiving a long round of applause from the moms. I will never forget that moment because it was then I truly realized that the message is more important than the messenger. That day was a starting point for me as I determined to move away from self-consciousness and make decisions with self-confidence. I also know that was one of the key moments where I said to myself, “I want to do that! I want to inspire women!”

What is your pink tutu? What is it that you are supposed to be doing but you are afraid of what others think? Maybe it’s taking a college class when the other students are your kids’ ages. Maybe it’s taking an exercise class, but you’re worried about how you look. Trust me, I have taken a zumba class and everyone is too busy looking at the instructor’s feet to care about you. Maybe it a new haircut, but you have always worn your hair a particular way. Maybe it is teaching a Sunday School class, but you have not been in a classroom setting in years. What ever it is, talk to God, and see if the Holy Spirit is prompting you to stretch yourself, to move in a new direction, or to do something totally different.
I love what Carol wrote in the devotional. She said, “I don’t want to let self-consciousness grow bigger than self-confidence, so I vow to trust that where I am and who I am is delightful in God’s eyes.” So true!

One trap I found myself in is to compare my pink tutu with others’ pink tutus or to want to wear someone else’s ballerina outfit because she wears it so well. Won’t work. No one else’s pink tutu will fit me or you. God has created each of us uniquely. We must wear the pink tutu designed for us. Be inspired and be influenced by others’ self-confidence and creativity, but wear your own pink tutu.

So wear your pink tutu and have a beautiful dance as you journey through life growing in self-confidence. You NEVER know whom you may inspire.