Forget self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence...We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.Jerry (see posts July 2nd and 3rd) knew he did wrong. To do what he did to me, he had to have nerve that only comes from heavy rejection and failure. I needed the confidence to point him in a new direction.
I had to stay the person that he would someday not want to do that to.He tried to rob me of my authority. Somehow, God led me to live out of my already established authority. I was the principal. I didn't need to show that off with my I'm-in-charge tools.
I reached into a different toolbox. Out of my God-confidence, I firmly presented him respect and compassion, setting a boundary (the attendance matter) but treating him with such kindness that he could actually feel regret for what he did. Only then could his heart begin to soften and hopefully recover.
Self-confidence doesn't have the strength to react in healing ways. God is the only author of clever solutions. We may not credit Him with our successes in helping others to live well, but we should. It seems God is happy to replenish our supply of wisdom and healing help when we give Him thanks for what we accomplish.
Someone said recently, "I don't know how I make it money-wise to the end of each month." When I credited that to God because of that person's financial support to church, the reaction was painful:
"But what about all my hard work?"It is impossible to cultivate God-confidence when we are scrapping to hold onto self-confidence. Being vulnerable means risking enough belief in God to give Him credit that we are tempted to take for ourselves.
Cultivating God-confidence means letting Him drive, create, and author the moves and the solutions. We are the conduit. For me, that's more than enough of a role.
If I can smash fear of judgment with this kind of vulnerability, I'm more than thrilled.
I get to recognize that I am deeply loved by God. When I live out of that always replenishing well, I may live to help others know that they, too, are deeply loved.
Comments are welcome at feedyourstrength@gmail.com.
