The first thing my daughter said after school
yesterday was this: “I love my outfit.”
It was a cute top, pants, and booties that she
and I had thoughtfully selected earlier in the school year, when parents and
kids shop for back-to-school in the heat of summer, buying up jeans and
long-sleeved shirts for winter weather, only to have those articles of clothing
languish in drawers until the cool air of fall blows in. Amused by her simple, spontaneous profession,
I asked her if she got a lot of
compliments on it. I was hoping she
had, because the girl hasn’t recently met a pair of pull-on knit shorts or a school
T-shirt she didn’t like. She of the daily
princess dresses and tiaras of yesteryear has transformed into a
Converse-wearing, straight-hair sporting, hoodie-attired tween whose only rule
of fashion is that clothing must be comfortable. I hoped a compliment would make her feel like
putting a bit more thought into looking presentable for school.
Her response:
“No. I just complimented myself.”
Her confidence floors me sometimes. I was proud and yet envied her of it.
Confidence
is not my strongest characteristic. I don’t
know why or how; I come from pretty confident stock. My parents are small business owners,
boot-strap people who believe in working your tail off and that nothing is
impossible. They love life and try
everything, have traveled extensively and don’t worry about much.
I rode through life on their tails, and grew up
into a person afraid of my own shadow, selling myself short in every situation,
fearing that if left to my own devices I would ruin everything and combust,
bringing those close to me down with them.
I’m still not sure what happened there.
As an adult I have accepted that I struggle with
confidence and work hard to build it up.
On a bad day I can’t do anything right.
On a good day I can do a few things right. I want
to have more good days.
The love of family and friends helps. So does age –angst at 40 causes bad health
and wrinkles, and no one needs that noise.
But the biggest confidence booster of all? Knowing God and what he does for me, for all
of us.
It took me a long time to get there. Some days I forget and go back to my old
ways: I mope around, feeling unworthy, helpless. But then I remember.
Be
confident in God. He is the creator and sustainer of this world
and each one of us. His word is truth,
and his promise is forever.
Be confident in what God can do in your
life. You can’t do it all on your own,
but God can. He can help you do all that
you’re meant to do. First you have to
trust that he will help you, and give your will over to him.
If you stay in relationship with God and keep
his word in your heart and in your mind, you will come to seek his will in
time. Your transformation will be sure,
and he will grant you anything you ask, and you will do amazing things for
God’s kingdom, which brings glory to God.
If there’s one thing that I’m confident in, it’s
that God is with me, and that he wants the best for me. It may be only to admit to myself that I love
my outfit today. My daughter has that
confidence today. I pray that she, along
with me, will grow in relationship with God and that our confidence in him will
build, and that we will do amazing things for God’s kingdom.
And I pray that for you, too.
*******
But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for
anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings
great glory to my Father. John 15:7-8 (NLT)
I love how He love us so :-)
ReplyDeleteMe too.
DeleteAwesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa! :)
DeleteThis post put a smile to my face and warm my heart!
ReplyDeleteI have come to love myself more and more lately and it's been quite a journey to be truly confident in my own skin. Thank you for this post :)
It is a journey. Don't you sometimes wish we hang onto our childhood confidence forever? Imagine what other lessons would be in store for us. So happy that you have found your confidence!
Delete