365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 253: Your Confidence

Your Confidence

"For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared." (Proverbs 3:26 NIV)

Imagine you are walking through a dark forest in the deep of night.

The sky is shrouded in clouds; there is no starlight or moonlight at all to illuminate your path. You do not have a flashlight. You do not know the way. You have never walked in this woods before, so it is entirely unfamiliar to you. 

Your arms are outstretched ahead of you, searching for low-hanging limbs and tree trunks. You take short, uncertain, hesitant steps. You are fearful and tentative. As you feel your way along, you move cautiously forward—and wince as metal teeth clamp around your foot. You have stepped into a snare. 

Now imagine you are walking through the same unfamiliar woods but on a clear evening. The bright moon makes the night almost as light as day. You have a powerful flashlight. You can see your surroundings easily. But more than that, you have a Guide leading you. He walks up ahead, clearing the way, calling out warnings, pointing to snares. You walk carefully but confidently, without fear. You trust your Guide. You do not know the way, but He does. Your confidence is not in yourself but in Him.

Godly confidence does not depend on our familiarity with a situation; it depends on our familiarity with the Savior.

The Lord who is Our Confidence illuminates the way for us through His Word. He sends His warrior angels to protect us. He leads us through the counsel of the Holy Spirit. All of which allows us to walk boldly and freely.

The word "confidence" might trip us up a little if we think of it in terms of self-absorption or an inflated ego. We might pull back from it. But trusting in God as our confidence is not about who or how we are; it's about who and how He is.  It's not about bravado based on our own abilities; it's about boldness based on His. 

With misplaced confidence, we walk without concern because we don't know what we don't know; with God as our confidence, we walk without concern because we do know Who we do know.

"On what are you basing this confidence of yours?" others might ask, echoing the king of Assyria's question in 2 Kings 18. And we answer, confidently, "We are depending on the Lord our God."

365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 252: The Door

The Door

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture." (John 10:9 CSB)

Two doors stood before me.

One was bright and shiny...gleaming and enticing. It was very wide. A beautiful new welcome mat was spread out in front of it. A painted sign in soft shades of blue and green hung on the door. It read, "Come on in!"

The door opened easily. In fact, I did not have to make any effort at all. I'd barely touched the door when it swung open. I stepped inside without even having to put down all the packages I held in my arms.

Behind the door was everything I ever thought I wanted. Every possession. Every accomplishment. Every pleasure. It was all about me. 

At first, I was happy behind that door. But after only a very little while, I felt discontent, dissatisfied. I wanted to leave.

I went back out and stood looking at the other door. It was rough...made of battered, splintered wood. It was very narrow. It had no welcome mat: only a pile of dirty rags lay in front of it. 

The sign on this door looked like it had been handwritten in blood. It read, "Come to Me."

I put my hand on the knob and pushed, but the door was hard to open. I had to lay my packages down. I had to lean my full weight into it. Finally, the door opened a few inches, and I eased my way inside.

Behind this door was everything I never knew I wanted. Every joy. Every treasure. Every hope. It was all about Him. And after I had been there for 10,000 years, it was still the only place I wanted to be.

Who You Are Is Not Outside You...and 17 Other Things I Want My High School Daughter to Know

Hey sweet girl,

I hear you up there in your room, trying on first-day-of-school outfits and organizing your binders and locker decorations. It takes me back to when we were deciding what you should wear for your first day of preschool and making sure your name was Sharpied into your backpack.

I’m a little nostalgic, thinking about those days, but I don’t wish we were back there, because where you are right now is exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Along the way from where you are to where you're going, you'll learn lessons neither of us can imagine from where we’re standing at the moment. But here’s what I want you to know even before you put on that outfit you’re working so hard to pick out.

1. There’s more than one “right” way to do high school (and lots of other things in life).

People will tell you to make the most of these years, but what that “most” looks like for you is up to you.

2. Some disappointment is inevitable, but it’ll be a lot easier to swallow if you don’t pile regret on top of it.

You can’t always control the outcome of things, but you can control your input. So take a chance on friendship, try out for the part, study hard for the test. You may not like the results, but at least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you tried.

3. Kindness, grace, and compassion are always good ideas.

They’re even better if you put them into practice.

4. Meanness, gossip, and back-stabbing are always bad ideas.

They’re best never put into practice.

5. At some point, your heart will probably be broken.

Guard it the best you can (but don’t harden it).

6. Try something new.

You might end up loving something you don’t even know you like.

7. Believe in your own beauty.

You are lovely in ways that have nothing to do with your hair or your skin or your makeup or a number on the scale or what you wear.

8. Take care of yourself.

I know you run remarkably well on a few hours’ sleep, a bottle of water, and an energy bar, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea day after day.

9. There are lots of different kinds of “smart.”

Your intelligence is not dependent on—or necessarily reflected by—your GPA or your class rank or your SAT score.

10. Weird can be wonderful.

I understand that you want to fit in. But don’t be afraid, sometimes, to stand out.

11. You are valuable, and you matter.

Your worth is not tied to being class president, first chair, or the most valuable player on some team.

12. Some days, you’re just going to have to blame the hormones.

Might as well make them earn their keep.

13. You don’t have to figure out your whole life in the next four years.

Your future happiness does not hinge on whether or not you’ve found your life’s passion or know what you want to be when you grow up by the time you leave high school.

14 The best kind of friend knows about your rough edges—and likes you anyway.

Try to find this kind of friend. Try to be this kind of friend.

15. Trust your instincts.

But also be open to the wisdom of other people.

16. You are likable and lovable.

These things are true whether or not you ever go out on a date or get asked to prom. They are true entirely apart from how many friends you have or how many people follow you on social media.

17. Who you are is not outside you.

Who you are is not something you have to wait for someone to give you. Who you are right now is already a gift. Treasure that gift in yourself, and then give it to others. Someone needs who you are—and who that is, only you can be.

18. And one more thing . . .

In what will feel like a blink (at least to me), you’ll be looking for a dress to wear under your graduation gown. We’re going to go through some rough waters together between here and there, but never forget this: I am on your side . . . first, last, and always.


A version of this article originally appeared on Grown and Flown.