Confidence...In What?

In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool.
Galatians 5:10

Runny, gooey egg casserole…Not exactly appetizing, but it was my contribution to the breakfast at my Tuesday Mom to Mom meeting. You see, I pride myself on being a good cook. I like food. I like to eat it, and I like to cook it. In fact, I have a few signature dishes. My egg casserole is one of them; it typically includes ground Italian chicken sausage, farm fresh eggs, cheddar jack cheese, and croissant crust (on the top and bottom). I was both excited to make and eat this casserole for my girlfriends. I woke up early to make the dish, get the kids ready, pack lunches for the little guys, and leave my house by 9:00 a.m. Seeing that I am usually late (I know, shame on me), I was quite proud of not being late this particular morning. On top of that, two of my good friends met me at the elevator to take my dish to the buffet area where it would be placed alongside the other morning delicacies.

I eagerly dropped the kids off, took the elevator to the 6th floor, joined my girlfriends at the table, and then they dropped the news on me: my egg casserole was undercooked! Ahhhhh!…the frustration and the embarrassment! Not my egg casserole! Didn’t I say I was a good cook?

Needless to say, I was embarrassed and disappointed. I wanted to participate in the breakfast buffet. But, maybe somewhere deep inside I wanted more than that. Maybe I wanted people to tell me how good my casserole was, maybe even ask me how I made the croissant crust. Maybe I wanted to be the talk of the morning. Maybe I wanted everyone to know that I am a good cook. Maybe I got it all wrong! Maybe the morning was never supposed to be about me or my egg casserole. Maybe each moment of every day I should find my self-confidence in Christ rather than in myself and my own abilities.

If we are honest, aren’t we all like that to some extent? We find our confidence in earthly titles or God-given abilities, and we forget that we are so much more than the things we do and the titles we possess. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines confidence as follows:

a. feeling of consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances
b. faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way

When I think about that definition, I realize that we cannot put complete confidence in anything on this earth. The only one who is able to live up to that definition without disappointing us is the Lord. God lovingly admonishes us not to put that kind of confidence in ourselves, our bodies, our husband, our kids, or our talents. He knows that these were all intended to be good gifts from Him; they were never meant to replace Him. Eventually all the things and people I mentioned above will disappoint us at some point…even if they try very hard not to.

This past Tuesday at Mom to Mom, the teaching was about confidence, and there is a little treasure that I want to share with you today. God approved and appointed David as king, but he rejected Saul. Why? David’s sins seem so much graver: adultery, murder, lying to cover it all up. Whereas Saul, he just seemed: impatient, insecure, and rash. To tell the truth, I think we can all relate (at least a little bit) to Saul’s sins. But there was an essential difference in these two men:

1. David found his confidence in the Lord, and when he was confronted about his sin, he ran back to the Lord and asked for forgiveness.
2. Saul found his confidence in the people, and when he was confronted about his sin, he ran away from the Lord and asked that God would still make him look good in the eyes of the people.
3. David knew he was leading God’s people, not his own.
4. Saul acted as though he was leading his own people, not God’s.

These truths lead me to conclude three things about my life as a wife and a mom:

1. My confidence needs to be rooted in the Lord, and I need to teach my kids to do the same.
2. All my talents and abilities are God-given, so any ability I have is not self-made, but a gift from God.
3. My children are not my own; they are God’s. How cool is it that we are in a sense like David…leading God’s people! 

I am sure that there are many reasons why God said that King David was a man “after his own heart”, but I firmly believe that one of those reasons is because he found his confidence in God alone…and not in himself or his wealth.

So, what happened to my casserole? Well, they nuked it in the microwave, and it turned out “OK”. Half of it was eaten, and the other half went into the trash. There were no rave reviews, but it didn’t matter. My confidence does not lie in an egg casserole. I am Teresa, a child of God…and I am good at cooking…most of the time. 

Dear Father,
Thank you for loving us and making each of us so wonderfully unique. Please help us to use all of our gifts and abilities to glorify you and not ourselves. You alone are worthy of all praise. When I am tempted to look inside myself for self-worth and confidence, please help me to get into your Word and look up to you instead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Passages to read:

1. Luke 18:9-14
2. Proverbs 3: 25-26

Application:
What gifts and talents do you have? Are you ever prideful about your gifts? How can you offer these talents back to the Lord so that He gets the glory?