When you think of confidence, what comes to mind? Do you think boldness, ability to stand, ready for success and tempered for failure? With confidence, you can bounce back from a situation and conquer again. It doesn’t set you back and, if anything, you are ready to try again, this time even harder, and to succeed.
There are two things on earth that I really love and, of those things, I feel sure-footed and confident. Can you guess what they are? People and numbers. Yes, kind of odd, huh? I love spending time with people, telling stories, laughing, getting ideas across, and creating ideas and memories with others. I also love taking numbers and find everything that can be inferred from them. Finding numbers, using statistical method, employing spreadsheets; you don’t believe me? A co-worker of mine has a handmade candy dispenser crafted out of oak. By pulling out a wooden slide, it dispenses M&Ms into your hand, provided you remember to put your hand under the chute to catch them. I’m still having problems with that. When I pulled it out the first time, I thought this is so cool. Hold on. 1, 2, 3…8 M&Ms. I immediately put out a sticky note with instructions and asked – I suppose mandated – others to write down how many M&Ms were dispensed each time. Once I had 30 data points, I pie-charted and performed a linear graph of the results.
Ok, so that’s strange, but you already knew I was weird.
I say this to share that despite all the confidence in the world I might have with people and numbers, so many times I still find myself withdrawing, lacking confidence. It isn’t in spending time with people or crunching numbers. It is my confidence that I’m really saved.
You see I believe I am forgiven, but there are times I question how that could be. I am not confident in His forgiveness. Despite my mountaintop experiences of closeness and devotion, I fail every day. How could a God forgive me when I mess up again and again, and even in the things I just asked forgiveness for? Reading Hebrews 10, I’m reminded of the countless animal sacrifices performed to redeem the sins of Israel, temporarily that is. They asked for forgiveness, and then failed God. Then they would ask again, and then failed again. Interesting. That’s just like me.
The biggest difference now is this time Christ has given the ultimate sacrifice, paid in full. I now have a new life, the curtain torn, that I can draw near to Him with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith in my salvation. Walk with confidence because His promises are true and faithful. It is His character. May I take on His character too.
By the way, here were the results:
Dispense count: 1, 0 (0%); 2, 2 (7%); 3, 0 (0%); 4, 1 (3%), 5, 3 (10%); 6, 2 (7%); 7, 5 (17%); 8, 13 (43%); 9, 4 (13%). Mean, 7; Median, 8; Mode, 8. regression, y = x - 1.6667
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:19-25
23 days!
No comments:
Post a Comment