4-5. What challenges did a young man named Avery and a young woman named Hannah face?

⁴ Lack of confidence. Avery’s parents are Jehovah’s Witnesses. His father has an excellent reputation as a caring father and an effective elder. Yet, Avery held back from getting baptized. Why? “I did not think that I would be able to live up to my father’s reputation,” he says. Avery also lacked confidence that he would be able to handle responsibilities that he might be given in the future. “I worried about being asked to pray in public, to give talks, or to lead a group in the field service.”

⁵ Hannah, aged 18, suffered from a severe lack of confidence. She was raised by parents who serve Jehovah. Even so, she doubted that she could live by Jehovah’s standards. Why? Hannah had developed a very low opinion of herself. At times, she felt so bad that she would deliberately injure herself, which only made things worse. “I never told anyone about what I did, not even my parents,” she says, “and I imagined that Jehovah would never want me because of what I was doing to myself.”

7. A young woman named Makayla was afraid of what, and why?

⁷ Fear of failure. Makayla was five years old when her brother was disfellowshipped. As she grew up, she saw the impact that her brother’s actions had on her parents. “I was afraid that if I got baptized,” says Makayla, “I would make a mistake, be disfellowshipped, and bring even more sadness to my parents.”

10. Why can meditating on Psalm 19:7 help you to serve Jehovah?

¹⁰ Continue learning about Jehovah. The more you learn about Jehovah, the more confident you will become that you can serve him successfully. Avery, mentioned earlier, says: “I gained confidence by reading about and meditating on the promise found at Psalm 19:7.” (Read.) When Avery saw how Jehovah fulfilled that assurance, his love for God grew stronger. Love not only builds confidence but also helps us to focus on Jehovah and on what he wants. Hannah, mentioned earlier, says: “Through my personal Bible reading and study, I came to realize that when I hurt myself, I hurt Jehovah as well.” (1 Pet. 5:7) Hannah became a ‘doer of God’s word.’ (Jas. 1:22) With what result? She says: “When I saw how obeying Jehovah benefited me, I developed a strong love for him. Now I’m sure that Jehovah will always guide me when I need his help.” Hannah was able to overcome the urge to hurt herself. She dedicated herself to Jehovah and got baptized.

15. How did Makayla overcome her fear of failure?

¹⁵ Makayla, mentioned earlier, overcame her fear of failure when she understood just how forgiving Jehovah is. “I realized that we are all imperfect and will make mistakes. But I also came to understand that Jehovah loves us and will forgive us on the basis of the ransom.” Her love for Jehovah moved her to dedicate herself to him and get baptized.