“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

When I think of this scripture, I usually interpret the phrase, “lean not unto thine own understanding,” as not being deceived by the ways/views of the world and what Satan would have me to believe. Satan is so good at dragging us, “carefully down to hell (2 Ne 28:21).” He in such subtle, ways is good at blurring the lines between what is good and what is evil. However, lately I’ve been thinking of this scripture in a different way, in relation to the self-doubt that we can have.

Let’s take a look at it in this way:

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart” Trust in Him, believe in Him, understand that He will guide you. Understand that He will help you to overcome your struggle, your pain, that He will help you to succeed as long as you do not give up. As long as you do not lose that faith in Him and His vision of your future.

“…lean not unto thine own understanding.” Lean not unto those feelings of self-doubt. Lean not unto your thoughts about yourself that are bringing you down. Your own understanding of yourself is limited in relation to what God sees that you can do. Do not rely on your false view of who you are but embrace your potential of who you are as a child of God, who loves you, who wants what is best for you. Who knows you better than anyone else, including yourself.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him…” Seek Him. See the ways in which He is leading you, guiding you, supporting you, helping you on your path. Choose to see Him, to acknowledge Him, and you will find Him. Find gratitude in your daily life. See those ways that He is already blessing you. There are always things that we can be grateful for, sometimes it’s just a matter of training our brains to see those things. Take some time each day to recognize the blessings that the Lord has given you. And give thanks.

“…and he shall direct thy paths.” He will guide you. He will show you your true purpose, the one that will light your soul on fire and burn within you. He will help you to see the purpose that will bring joy, peace, and fulfillment in your life. At times it may seem odd what He asks of you, but once again, “lean not unto thine own understanding.” At other times you may not feel you can do what He asks of you, yet again, “lean not unto thine own understanding.”

It took Nephi and his brothers several tries before obtaining the brass plates from Laban. When the Lord guided Nephi, Nephi was asked to do something that was extremely difficult for him to do, yet he trusted in the Lord. He succeeded and generations were blessed because of it. When he was later asked to build a boat, Nephi did not doubt. He knew the Lord would guide him even with Nephi’s lack of knowledge and skill. Nephi did not lean unto his own understanding, but he trusted that the Lord would guide him, he acknowledged the great things that the Lord had already done for him and for the Israelite people, and he allowed the Lord to guide his path.

The Lord will guide you too. He will help you to see your great worth. He will help you to see your purpose(s) and He will lead you to fulfilling those purposes. When self-doubt arises, “lean not unto thine own understanding,” and instead say to yourself, “I will trust in the Lord with all my heart. He will lead me. He will direct me. I will succeed.”