Wednesday, July 07, 2010

A Prescription for Confidence

It was a lovely scene, my nine-year-old niece (let's call her Sweet Cheeks) getting a phone call from her dad. She talked to him easily, answering his questions and relating her day, then hung up with a smile.

Me: Your dad must miss you.

Sweet Cheeks: Yeah, he probably does. He loves me very much. I'm his favorite kid. (She has three older brothers.)

Me: How can you tell?

Sweet Cheeks: He just loves talking to me and loves me very, very much.

She wasn't bragging or showing off, but said it very matter-of-factly as if everyone knew it to be true. I marveled at the confidence in a nine-year-old girl certain her daddy loved her. What a gift he's given her, one that will no doubt influence her entire life.

And I wondered. Can a little girl who hasn't had that kind of relationship with her father find it in a heavenly One? Is it possible for little girls with broken hearts and damaged lives to find confidence and security in a Father they cannot see or touch?

My niece has grown up talking with her dad, hearing his words and believing them. Can we cultivate the same kind of relationship with our heavenly Father by following her example? If I talk with God often and believe what He says as truth, can I share her stability?

Is confidence and security the byproduct of an active prayer life and faith in God's Word?

Scripture would say yes.

He sent forth his word and healed them. . .

Psalm 107:20
Our hurts can be healed by His Word, but only if we believe it. I can't say I had the same confidence as my niece when I was nine or even twenty-nine, but it's getting better. The more I talk with my Father and believe His Word (is this where we falter, in our inability to believe?), the greater sense of security I carry with me. Maybe by the time I'm forty-nine I'll have a handle on it.

So here's to knowing we are loved very, very much by our heavenly Father and a few verses to practice believing.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

. . . I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

Jeremiah 31:3

Talk to Him. Believe Him. Let yourself bloom.

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