Where does our confidence lie?

Recently, I believe God has been allowing certain circumstances, thoughts, feelings and other people to bring to my heart a theme of confidence and sufficiency, or rather insufficiency. As humans living in this broken world, how easy and tempting it is to feel unconfident or insufficient. A man is praised when he does something "good", when he is "good at something", or when he performs in a way that people want him to. As a result of this, it's not surprising that people often feel that they will not live up to other's standards, and that they are not sufficient enough to receive praise. As humans, we are often scared of failing, and when an opportunity arises and there is chance of that, our insecurities surface quickly. If we find our identity and self-worth in lack of failure, or in how good we are in the world's eyes, how sad and empty will we be when there are failures or letdowns; and these are inevitable because of our broken condition.

Yes, our condition is broken, but the God who created the heavens and the earth is not. He is also the God who created man and woman, which He made in his own image (Genesis 1:27). He was not the one who intended for them to feel insecure. After Adam and Eve were created, Genesis 2:25 says that, "The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." The first time that they felt shame and were scared can be found in Genesis 3:10 after they have been deceived by the serpent, when God asks Adam and Eve where they are. Adam responds, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." God did not intend for us to feel scared, ashamed, unconfident, or insufficient; that happened after our fall.

But why should we feel confident and sufficient enough? Well, Genesis tells us that God created us, and David writes in Psalm 139:13-14, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." If we agree with David, if we think that God is perfect and that His works are good, why then do we not think that we are good enough if we are one of His works? Sure, we make mistakes and have weaknesses and are unholy, but God never makes mistakes, and He is holy. And as stated previously, we are made in His image. The point is that we can think of ourselves as good enough because of Him, because He is good enough. God's purposes are perfect, and He has purpose in every single one of our lives. We can rest in Him and have assurance of who we are in Him. 1 John 3:19-20 says, "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."

So, the next time we are lied to by the enemy or by other's, feeling as though we are insufficient and undeserving, let us stand firm in His word and in the truth that we were created by a perfect God who never makes mistakes, who gave us specific gifts, talent and beauty to be used for His glory! How special is that compared to using these gifts to get ahead in the world and to be sufficient enough, when God already believes that we are and He just wants us to believe it too. And anytime you feel unloved or unworthy, remember this proof that you are not:  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

I am thankful to the LORD for what He has revealed to me. My prayer is that I will be able to live as one who finds her identity and self-worth in the Lord, in who she is in Him and that she was made by His perfect hands. And as I reflect upon all of this, I think of the beautiful Dominican children that I serve. They need to know how beautiful they are and how special God made them to be. They need to find their self-worth in Him and in the truth that He is for them and with them always. Please help me pray that I will be able to teach and demonstrate this love to them! May God bless you richly, just because you are His.