Even if...I will remain confident
My church is beginning a new building campaign and our pastor stood up today and with complete confidence announced that we will raise 3 million dollars. He didn’t waver, he didn’t doubt, he didn’t even bat an eye. Confidence oozed from him. I was thinking, wow that’s a big statement, a big dream, a big ask. And yet – confidence carries him. I look at some obstacles in front of me and my first reaction is “no way”, my second reaction is, “let’s do this.” Confidence flips my response. Confidence helps me focus on the solution, not the obstacle. Confidence propels me forward and doesn’t allow me to sit or simmer in my current situation. Confidence. I need more of it.
It’s easy to be confident when I know I’ve got something, when I know I can handle something, but ask me to do something that takes me outside of my comfort zone, outside of my natural ability and strengths and my confidence can grow weak.
I’ve been thinking about what it means to walk into the Even If…into the unknown, the painful, the life not as I wanted it to be, the circumstance that is not what I expected…with confidence. And then I started thinking about the word…confidence. When we break it down, we see the literal meaning “con” = with; “fido” = trust. Confidence = with trust.
Even if….I will remain “with trust”. You see I can remain confident in the Even if, because my confidence is not based on anything I have done or anything I am able to do, but my confidence is based on the one who knows the Even if! The one who goes before me into the Even If, beside me through the Even If and behind me as I come out of the Even If. The one who doesn’t change, even when my circumstances change, the one who knows, even when I don’t know, the one who is not taken by surprise by what is going on even when I am totally bamboozled.
I can remain with trust because of the character and nature of God. He is unchanging, He is all knowing, He is good all the time, He is in control, He IS….I don’t have to be. My trust is in Him, not in me, not in my circumstances, not in my ability to change or control things. My confidence is in Him, my trust is in Him, so I can remain, in the Even If.
How do I do this? I keep my focus on Jesus. I call on His name. I give Him praise. I acknowledge His presence in my life. I love how the Passion translation states Psalms 16:8 – 9.
"I realize the Lord's presence surrounds me continually.
Because He is close to me, always available,
My confidence will never be shaken.
My heart and soul explode with joy--full of glory!
Even my body will rest confident and secure."
Doesn’t that just say it all? My confidence comes because of the One I place my trust in. I will not be shaken by what I walk through in this life because I know God is walking through it with me. I trust Him. Even if…I will remain confident because my trust is in God.
Robin Smith has a passion for equipping people to see their strengths and to lead with their unique God given gifts. She has spent the last 15 years in higher education, focusing on developing student leaders and equipping students with the skills they need to be successful in the pursuit of their education and careers. She has recently transitioned out of higher education to pursue her heart’s passion to help equip women coming out of trafficking as the Program Director at Refuge for Women Las Vegas. Robin serves on the Ignite Life board, volunteers with Refresher for Women and Refresher Girls and teaches the evening class of Speaker's Workshop. She loves to teach the word of God and empower people to live victoriously on their journey with Jesus. Robin and her husband Homer have been married for 31 years. They enjoy God’s creation by hiking, walking, or simply enjoying the sun with a good book. They have two children, Jenna and Ryne, three grandchildren, Alex, Dylan and Vincent and 1 cat - Cedar.