Ep 1 Divine Worth Podcast: From Hiding Behind the Couch to Embracing the Call to Speak

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Welcome to the divine worth podcast, where we are letting go of our self doubt anxiety, fear, and limiting beliefs so that we can step into the divine roles that God has for us. I am your host life coach, Karen Papin, and together we are embracing our divine worth.

I wanted to get started by sharing a little bit about me. My name is Karen Pappin. I have been married to my husband for over 16 years now, and we have four really brave kids. I’ve been studying psychology and personal development since I was 15 years old. And I obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in recreational leadership.

Now. I am a master NLP practitioner and a certified life coach, and also a certified creation coach. I am someone who went from hiding behind the couch to finding the joy that comes [00:01:00] from stepping outside my comfort zone. And I’m excited to share more of that story with you today. I have this memory from when I was younger.

Around age 12, where I was in a front of a group of people about to speak. And I just could not get the words out really looking back. Now, I have several of these kinds of memories of really not being able to talk to people. I’m not just in like a group of people either, but in one on one conversations as a child, it was a struggle for me, not because I couldn’t physically speak, but because of the fear and self doubt that kept For me, I had to get the words out of my mouth in those times.

I did not yet believe myself capable of talking to these people. And that belief kept me from doing so. I have come so far since then, [00:02:00] and I am so thankful for the Lord and his vision of who I could become. Because it was his vision of who I could become that helped me to be able to overcome those fears and those limiting beliefs that really kept me from being able to move forward.

Perhaps you’re like me and public speaking is something that you struggle with. Maybe you also. struggle with social anxiety. Perhaps you hold back from sharing your testimony online or with a friend, or perhaps your, your ministering is a struggle for you. Maybe you’ve been asked to serve in a calling that just feels so daunting.

And maybe you’re questioning whether you are really capable of raising your kids in this world that we live in. Maybe you feel the Lord is asking something of you that seems so difficult to bear. You may be in the midst of a struggle, darkness surrounding [00:03:00] you, or you might be experiencing loneliness or heartache, whatever it is that you might be going through.

I know this. The Lord loves you, and He sees you, and He knows that you are of worth, and that you are needed. You are of a divine worth to the Lord. You are one of His beloved children, and you have a divine nature and eternal destiny. There It really is such power in embracing this identity of being a beloved child of God.

I know of this power because I have seen it in my own life. And since becoming a life coach, I’ve learned even more about that power of identity. In Romans chapter 8, verse 16, we are told the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. [00:04:00] Is there any wonder that we sing the song, I am a child of God, so much?

It’s because of the power of those words. Our spirits can feel the truth of them. Identity is the deepest level of change that we can have. We can try to change things on the surface level of our environment, like in my case, with speaking with others. If I just removed myself from the location where I was struggling to speak and just went off by myself or was just with my family or close friends, I was able to speak again.

However, that kept me from growing. It kept me from learning how to use my voice for the good of others. It kept me from sharing my light. The level of environment is not a very deep level of change because when we are put back into that same situation, we once again struggle. [00:05:00] Then there’s the level of behavior.

Unfortunately, changing our behavior is more difficult than just saying, open your mouth and start talking. There were deeper reasons keeping me from using my voice. The third level is capability here too. I struggled. Yes, I could speak like I was physically capable of being able to speak, but I did not believe myself capable of seeing saying what I needed to say, which takes us to the level of change called beliefs.

Beliefs are powerful because they affect what we see ourselves as being capable of. Which in turn affects our behavior and which in turn affects our environment. However, the deepest level of change is actually identity. Because that is what shapes our beliefs. And Satan works so hard to keep [00:06:00] us from seeing who we truly are as children of God.

If he can keep us from seeing our divine self, he can change what we believe. What we are capable of are behaviors, which in turn affects our environment and ultimately the world. As a child, I may have known on a surface level that I was a child of God. However, it took time and a desire to believe that for that profound knowledge to really begin to take shape into who God saw I could become.

Thankfully, I learned how to put my trust in the Lord. I developed a habit of reading my scriptures daily, and I began to know the people within the scriptures. People like Enoch, who was slow with speech, yet went on to open his mouth and be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in creating a Zion people, a whole city of people who the Lord took to live with him because they were of one heart.

I learned about people [00:07:00] like Jeremiah who when called to be the prophet said, but I am but a child. Once again, the Lord guided him in leading the Israelites. And I learned about Moroni, who in Ether chapter 12 talks about how difficult writing was for him. He was concerned about what others would think of the words that he wrote, thinking they would make fun of them.

The Lord’s response, Fools mock, but they shall mourn, and my grace is sufficient for the meek. And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness, that they may be humble. And my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me. For if they humble themselves before me and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

And now how many read Moroni’s words and feel the power [00:08:00] of them as he trusted in the Lord and was guided by him. Through these examples, and many more, I began to realize that the Lord could help me make my weaknesses. And that’s what Become strong. I began to believe that God would support me in my struggles.

I began to know him as my Heavenly Father. I began to see that I was his child. And because of that, he loved me. He believed in me. And if he believed in me, I could believe in myself as well. And he would be there with me every step of the way. I have seen line upon line the ways.

So the next time that I got up to speak as a teenager, I was super nervous, but I put my trust in the Lord. I [00:09:00] had a desire to believe that he would help me and I let that desire grow within me. And so I stood up in front of that group of people and I opened my mouth and words came. Not only did those words come, but the fear left me and I was filled with peace.

I was still shaking and I still looked nervous, yet within I no longer felt it. Instead, I was filled with God’s love. His love was surrounding me. And it wasn’t just that experience. Every single time since then that I’ve spoken and every single time I speak now, there might be a buildup of anxiety at a time, my heart beating fast and my hands shaking.

And yet when I put my trust in the Lord and I open my mouth, the spirit fills me. I recently had the opportunity to share my [00:10:00] story with a group of young women. As I spoke, I pointed out the physical reactions that I had going on, my shakiness and my heartbeat on my watch. Then I told them the peace that I felt.

And I shared this story with them. And it’s found in Matthew chapter 14. After spending the day teaching and performing miracles, Christ went alone to a mountain to pray. His disciples went into a ship, and they were now in the midst of the sea,

starting in verse 24. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a [00:11:00] spirit. And they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. Now at this time, Peter is completely focused on the Savior. He’s not looking around at the contrary wind and waves. He only sees Christ and he sees the miracle of Christ walking on the water.

And Peter has the faith. To join him. And so Christ says to him, come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. This is so amazing. How many of us would even get out of that ship? And here Peter was walking on the water and he had this amazing desire to join Christ on the water.

[00:12:00] He believed that with Christ’s help, Peter himself could walk on the water. Talk about seeking and expecting miracles. But then something happens. Peter loses focus in verse 30, but when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. We know already that the wind was contrary. It didn’t just become boisterous.

Peter just hadn’t noticed it when he was focused. Continuing on in verse 30 and beginning to sink very important here. It wasn’t until he became distracted that he began to sink. He cried saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?[00:13:00]

Here Christ was there, ready to be there for him, and he lovingly reminds us. Peter, that he still has something to some learning to do in relation to faith. And when they were coming to the ship, the wind ceased your several lessons found within the scripture. First, Peter had the desire to do something amazing.

And Christ called him forth to do it. As a child, I had no comprehension of what I could do and achieve. I couldn’t see it past those fears and anxieties that I had. And as a result, I didn’t have a desire to step outside my comfort zone. However, as I grew step by step, line upon line, the Lord guided me in believing in what I could achieve.

I began to desire to become whom God saw me capable of becoming.

Is [00:14:00] there some small desire that you have in which you feel the Lord is calling you to step out of the boat in faith, let that desire work within you. And as Alma says in Alma chapter 32, plant that seed of faith within you and nurture it. So number two, Peter was capable of doing that amazing thing. In this case, walking on the water.

As long as he kept his focus on Christ. As long as I kept my focus on Christ, I was able to use my voice. However, in those times when I began to focus more on the thoughts that I had, I am not capable or those thoughts of fear or comparison or those things that Satan wants me to believe. That is when I begin to sink.

That is when I struggle to speak and I struggle to let my light shine. There are thoughts [00:15:00] or limiting beliefs that are distracting you from moving forward in your life that are keeping you from becoming who the Lord wants you to become. Lesson three. The wind was already boisterous. It did spring up.

Sometimes we feel like we need to wait for the perfect time to take action, when really there isn’t a perfect time. Those Boisterous fears and comparison thoughts and self doubt. They’re already there. So what is one small step you can take to move forward in your goal? As you focus more on the savior.

Lesson four, Peter knew where to turn. Peter recognized what was happening when he was sinking and he cried out to the Lord. He actively decided to recenter his focus [00:16:00] where it needed to be. And five, Christ is there ready to help us. He immediately came to Peter’s aid. Sometimes in our own lives, it doesn’t always feel immediate, but the truth is that Christ is always there ready to help us in ways that are best for our eternal welfare and for the welfare of those around us.

Those moments where we do fail, where we fall short of what we hope to achieve, where we begin to sink, or we see all the mistakes that we made, Christ is also there. When I was old enough for a mission, I felt the Lord calling me to serve. And I accepted the call to serve in the Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission.

Where we were giving tours of the beautiful, historic salt Lake temple square. [00:17:00] And yes, this was more public speaking for me. So imagine my anxiety when it came time for my very first tour, I was once again, experiencing the fear and anxiety of speaking to others about something that meant so much to me.

Yet, once again, putting my trust in the Lord, one woman spoke to me as we were walking from one stop. On the tour to another, she told me that she could tell I was nervous. And then she went on to say that my willingness to be there and to give those tours was a testimony to her that the church was true.

If I could speak even amidst my struggle and my fears, then she believed that she could overcome the things that held her back from joining the church. In that moment, I knew that the Lord truly does make our weaknesses strong, and he makes up [00:18:00] for what we lack. Line upon line and step by step, the Lord has led me to where I am today, using my voice to strengthen and guide others.

My voice becomes his voice as I continually put my trust in him. In Alma chapter 26, 15, Almond shares this about his mission to the Lamanites. Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction, but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation, and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love.

Yeah, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work. We are instruments in the hands of the Lord in bringing his light unto others. You are a light, whatever your struggles, whatever might hold you back from shining that light, the Lord will help you. [00:19:00] I have come to actually be thankful for my anxiety because it has helped me to know God on a much deeper level.

It has also been a way for me to learn that he loves me and that he believes in me. And I know he believes in you too. So whatever you may be struggling with, I know that he believes in your ability to overcome it as you put your trust in him. Imagine what we can do if we each, all of us, let go of those fears and self doubt and comparison and other limiting beliefs that hold us back.

Imagine what light we can bring to the world as we embrace our divine worth and potential, benefiting not just our lives. But those around us as well. We would fill the world with not just God’s light, but also his love. Is that not a [00:20:00] mission worth working on? For every ray of light that we can bring into this world is needed.

You are needed. So join me in this journey of embracing our divine worth and potential. Think of just one thing that you can do today to bring more light into the world. Here are some small and simple ways that you can bring more. Rays of light into this world, complimenting someone, writing a thank you note, writing down some things that you are thankful for, which lifts your mood and can lift the mood of those around you.

Holding the door open for someone, making eye contact and smiling at another person, being present and undistracted with your family, listening attentively to another, sharing a scripture on social [00:21:00] media or praying for someone who is struggling. You are capable of being a light who’s today to do one small and simple thing to embrace your divine work and let your light shine.

If you have found this podcast to be a light, please share it with others and or later review, which helps others find the podcast as well. To learn more about your divine worth and potential, you can download some free scripture cards, focus on your worth at https://karenpapin.com/scripturecards

You are of worth. You have a purpose. The Lord loves you and he believes in you and only you can make the impact on this world that you are meant to make. Join me next time as we talk more about divine worth and potential.