Let’s talk about confidence.
Who, or what, do you habitually place your confidence in?
There are so many things in our day-to-day lives that vie for our trust — some of them are worthy of our confidence, and some of them aren’t: money, politicians, possessions, job security; friends, family, neighbors, clergy; and perhaps most especially, ourselves and our own abilities.
I’m not a generally self-confident person in most situations. But, when I examine my motives and my choices, I find that I habitually trust myself over almost anyone else when it comes to directing my life and getting what I want — and often, even more so than I trust God.
When you really stop to take a raw and honest look inward, do you ever feel sort of an existential pull between trusting yourself and trusting in God?
If you answered yes, you’re in good company, my friend — I’m right there with you, along with the whole human race.
This confidence-dichotomy goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve chose to trust the Serpent — and ultimately themselves — rather than God and His immense love.
Ever since the Fall, humans have been struggling to put their confidence in God.
Think about it. How often do we ask Jesus for something, but only halfheartedly believe that He will actually answer our prayers?
Or how often do we have difficulty trusting in His goodness, especially when life brings suffering?
Do we ever doubt His mercy when we find ourselves falling into the same sins over and over again?
Yes. We all do it. And it’s easy to see why.
Sin — both original and actual — clouds our eyes to the reality of God’s great love for us. And when we don’t believe in His unconditional love, how can we truly and deeply trust Him?
I struggle every day, many times a day, to choose to put my confidence in God rather than in myself. So obviously I’m not the one to turn to if you want to know how to overcome this problem! 😉
BUT, here’s what my homegirl, St. Therese, has to say about it:
We can never have too much confidence in the good God, who is so powerful and merciful. We obtain from Him as much we hope for.”
Therese knew incredible heartache, grief, and physical suffering in her short 24 years on this earth. And yet, she could say these amazing words.
Why? Because she never doubted God’s love for her. Her autobiography, Story of a Soul, is her testament to His love — she sings of it on every page.
What about me; what about you?
Can we choose today to place our confidence in a God who loves us with abandon, even unto death? Can we believe in His power and His mercy?
What do you hope to obtain from Him today? Do you trust Him to know the desires of your heart and to hear and answer your prayers in wondrous ways?
St. Faustina speaks of how nothing pains the Heart of Christ more than those who do not trust in His mercy and love.
As we prepare to enter Holy Week, it could be a perfect time for us to make a special gift to Our Lord — a gift of heroic confidence and trust.
Let’s console His Heart. Let’s trust Him now, and put our confidence in the only One who is ultimately worthy of it.
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