I can’t speak for everyone, but I know after a certain point in my spiritual walk there came a transitional period. This for me was a transition away from the struggle of disbelief as to the foundations of Christianity, into a struggle of faithfulness, or trusting in the Lord and what He says. Stacy and I were having a great conversation on this topic last week, and I wanted to share a great analogy she had.
An analogy for confidence and trust.
All of us have our gifts or talents. I would say, with most of us, we also have a great confidence in those talents. I think even if we sometimes hit a rough spot or fail with our talent, we usually persist, still believing in our ability for success. Let me give an example.
Singing and business.
Stacy is a very gifted singer. Before Stacy is about to sing, she already hears the note she is going to sing, so when she prepares to sing, she trusts her voice to produce the beautiful note.
I personally have no idea what it’s like to be able to replicate a note like Stacy. But I know that I can look at a business and immediately analyze its model and areas of opportunity. In fact, it’s hard for me to shut my brain off after analyzing a business because once I know the model, or see their opportunity, the steps to help them succeed preoccupy me from everything else. You can ask Stacy, as my desire to help the company succeed often leads to overcommitment of my own time.
There are times, though, when the steps I put together for a business aren’t exactly right, and sometimes Stacy sings a note and it’s off (though not usually by a lot). But Stacy and I still have total confidence in our ability, even considering that neither her talent nor mine is in any way perfect. I am sure we’re not the only ones with confidence in our talents.
The place our confidence is missing.
This analogy strikes me when thinking about God. We can have such confidence in our own talents, whether we are failing with them or not, yet we don’t have the confidence – the trust – in God and his promises. It’s easier for us to believe we can write that book, grow that business, sing that melody, or find that job than it is for us to believe that God is true to His word, guiding our path if only we ask.
The greatest irony of it all, for me, isn’t that at times I have more confidence in my gifts than in the One who gave them to me, it’s that even after God has distinctively proven to me that when it’s in His hands it’s greater than anything I could ever do, He still has to battle for my trust.
Amen!