The Only Confidence that Holds
Well land o’ mercy friend, look at you moseyin’ up this here ol’ front porch like a cool breeze driftin’ through a cedar grove. Come on and settle yourself right here like you are steppin’ into a mountain cabin where the kettle is plum rattlin’ with excitement and the welcome is downright waitin’ on you. Grab that rocker by the window that groans like an old bull moose tryin’ to stand up after a long nap. And if you spot that cranky ol’ possum arguin’ with a waddlin’ lil’ skunk that keeps claimin’ the best patch of shade, or smell that pot of blackberry cobbler bakin’ slow inside, you will know you have stepped into a place where your heart can stretch out and breathe easy.
Now it’s plum time to lean into a truth that stands firm like a mountain pass that has stared down a thousand storms without blinkin’. Philippians 3:4-8 shows Paul layin’ out his “Confidence CV,” listin’ every privilege he once bragged about. But then he plum flips the whole thing on its head and says, “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” And slid right beside it is Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Let not the wise glory in his wisdom… but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me.” Those verses sure fit real good like two acorns fallin’ from the same oak, remindin’ us that real confidence ain’t found in what we’ve done. It’s downright found in Who we belong to.
Truth is friend, every one of us is still in process. We are all learnin’, growin’, stumblin’, and gettin’ back up again. Some folks brag on their achievements like a rooster struttin’ across the barnyard, but Paul learned that anything we cling to outside of Christ is plum flimsy. Confidence in the flesh crumbles faster than a dry cornstalk in a windstorm. Confidence in Christ stands steady like a deep rooted oak that ain’t goin’ anywhere.
Father, thank You for teachin’ me where real confidence belongs. Help me lay down every prideful thing I cling to and hold tight to Jesus alone. Make my heart humble, my spirit teachable, and my confidence anchored in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Well, slap my knee and call me grateful friend, as you step off this porch and wander back down the path right on into the doin’s of your day, carry this here truth the way a tall cedar carries the cool hush of dawn, keepin’ things real steady and sure. Walk with the gentle boldness of a lil’ ol’ fox movin’ through the cool, morning mist, knowin’ it ain’t meant to travel alone. Move forward like a bright lil’ firefly driftin’ across a summer field, shinin’ because the One who made you shines through you. And remember, wherever your feet take you today, your confidence ain’t in what you’ve done. It’s sho’-nuff in Christ, and downright secure in Him.
With joy,
Gwen
