Has does faith shape your confidence? Do you plan for the worst and hope for the best?
Back when I was working as a high tech professional, one of the things that always ended up in my lap was turning around failed projects.
They ended up on life support because people lost hope that anything good could happen. The best strategy, they figured, was to simply survive.
I always knew the first team meeting I led was the most important. I would walk into blank stares and doodle art on notepads in the making.
After the usual Hi-I’m-here-t0-help-us-succeed preamble, I’d ask them one question that changed the charge in the air.
Tell me everything that’s wrong with this project.
In other words: “Let’s plan for the worst case scenario and go from there.”
People would start talking. I’d start nodding.
I got good at this approach and gained a reputation for turning dying projects around.
Unfortunately, I applied the same strategy to my spiritual outlook as well.
I got really good at planning for the worst and hoping for the best.
Don’t get me wrong, things looked good on the outside.
But my faith was limited by my fears of reality.
I started using my faith in God to solve problems, instead of experiencing life as He meant for me.
Upside Down
God is asking me to turn my game plan upside down. Completely.
“Confidence” is my word for the year, taken from Jeremiah 17:7. The root word in Hebrew means:
Care-free trust.
Boldness in God.
What if I planned for God’s best and let Him worry about the worst?
The thought exhilarates, but scares me.
After all, wasn’t Jeremiah thrown in a pit for days after he did what God asked him to do — after God told him “Blessed is the man who trusts in me, whose confidence is the Lord.”?
Jeremiah’s response freed me to say YES.
“But as for me: I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after you.” Jer. 17:16
My heart is what’s at stake, not my circumstances.
Pits of troubles wait for me, no matter what.
What is God’s best?
I’m discovering God’s best isn’t found in an outcome, it is found in me.
“For we are God’s workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10
The root word for workmanship is poiema. It means “work of art”. Poiema gives us the English word “poem”.
You and I are God’s greatest creation.
We are His best work.
We are His artwork.
What would confidence like this look like?
For one thing, God’s didn’t design me for the purpose of solving problems. When I’m on my deathbed, you won’t find me smiling, naming all the problems I’ve solved.
I’m on a journey to live out of this confidence-in-Him thing this year.
It won’t be easy. Especially on the days that I definitely do not feel like art. Not the kind you’d want to hang on the wall anyways.
But yes, I will be making mistakes, wasting time and looking out of my element — while I do it.
What does this type of confidence look like for you?
The first place I want to grow in confidence is JOY.
Want to know more?
Join me next week, by jamming on the topic of joy.
See below for the faith prompt and let’s share this journey together.
Do you plan for the worst and hope for the best?
What does confidence and boldness look like for you?
Pull up a chair. Share a comment or subscribe by email.
** Faith Barista’s January series: Soul Resolutions ** Thank you for sharing your One Words! Your One Words may be chosen as a Faith Barista Jam topic (see below). Join me. Let’s swap stories.~~~~~
*** NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN — FAITH BARISTA JAM! ***
Faith Barista Jam Thursdays — I serve up a topic of faith, you write the post. Keep faith fresh with a faith prompt and add your voice to this community.
Today’s topic: How is God calling you to be more confident or bold?
Share your post by clicking on the blue button below “Add Your Link”. You can also share directly by simply commenting below.
Next Thursday 1/20: Is Joy Easy or Hard For You?
** NEW UPDATE** You’ve inspired me to select some of our Faith Barista Jam topics from the One Words For 2011that we’ve created together. Let’s encourage each other. Swap our stories.
If you’d like to add your One Word for 2011 to the mix, it’s never too late.
Click here to share a your “One Word” post or just leave a comment.
Approach it any way you feel inspired! Only required ingredient: keep it real. Thanks for serving your personal brews!
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~~~~~
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62 Comments
Yay! Here’s mine, Bonnie:
http://lauraboggess.blogspot.com/2011/01/its-notthe-end-of-story.html
I love what you say here, that planning for His best and letting Him handle the worst is exhilarating, but frightening also. God has been calling me to let go of some things…to trust HIm to handle them. At first, I was all panicky about that. But now, there is peace–almost relief. But that’s not what I wrote about. He calls me to be bold and confident when I share with others–especially those little ones I shepherd.
Have a blessed day, Bonnie!
.-= Laura´s last blog ..Broken Thoughts =-.
“Trusting Him to handle them.” Uh-huh. I want to focus my energies on what I can do, not what I can’t, too! Can’t wait to read your post this week, Laura — So happy you came over with a cup to share!
“What if I planned for God’s best and let Him worry about the worst?”
Mmmmm….. seems that this same concept would go with my theme of REST in Him.
I am reading a book called True Faced (I can’t think of who the author is at the moment) and going through a workbook right now. It has the concept what if we went to the road of trust and humility. God is right next to us with his arm around us facing our “sin” together. What if we walked in who God says we are and not in who we say we are or our sin suggests we are?
I have always heard our sin puts distance between us and God. BUT once we are a Christian and Jesus is our Lord, then we don’t have that great span of a canyon between us. It is so comforting to realize that “I” don’t have to go it alone. GRACE!
I can face my anxieties and worries with His arm around me. Better yet, I can rest in knowing that God says He has taken care of them. Plan for God’s best!!!!!!!
Thank you Bonnie!!!
.-= Katie´s last blog ..Goals for 2011 =-.
Sounds like a great read, Katie! Anything to get me to draw confidence and rest while doing is worth taking in. Thanks for that!
ohhhh this challenges the planner in me! interesting thoughts 🙂
.-= Katy´s last blog ..wednesday words =-.
Yep. I’m a planner too. Which the world does need. 🙂 LOL. I’m curious how to inject more faith into them.
I think of that small group of men who went into hiding after Jesus was arrested. And then the small group of men who preached in the temple courts, travelled all over the Roman Empire and beyond, and ended up turning the world upside down. The difference was — faith (and a dash of the Holy Spirit).
.-= Glynn´s last blog ..The Bold and the Confident =-.
Exactly. These guys were not focused on what they could do. They were just jumping in — as is — to discover what God was doing. Love the dash, Glynn!
This is exciting to read, Bonnie. I am on such a similar track this year with “depend and delight.” The more I put my confidence in God, the more joy I find.
“My heart is what’s at stake, not my circumstances.”
Exactly. Thanks for sharing and hosting!
“The more I put my confidence in God, the more joy I find. ”
Oh, I LOVE that, Lisa!! That is what I am experiencing too. Doesn’t mean I don’t get discouraged. Just means I don’t have to stay that way. And I want more of it.
In the book of Acts, it says over and again…”They were filled … and they went out speaking boldly.”
As writers, we brim with a lack of confidence. “Does anybody care. Does anybody read. Does anybody need what I have to say.”
Thanks to you, wrote about that today…
http://redletterbelievers.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-write-audience-of-one.html
.-= David Rupert´s last blog ..All we really need is an audience of One =-.
I think the apostles felt this too. But, my guess is that the message was just too amazing and propelled them to get out there. Plus, there were many of them doing it TOGETHER. And that’s why I love our Faith Barista Jam. I love this community! 🙂 So glad you’re here.
[…] more posts about confidence in God, visit Bonnie Gray’s faith jam […]
I think as we mature, a quiet confidence in God’s faithfulness is more perceivable.
Just this month, I prayed, “God shut the door, if this is not your will.” He shut the door. I’d be a pitiful fool to keep my fingers in a door I asked him to shut for my own good.
We readjust. We get better at dancing with him, and letting him lead our steps.
It’s rarely about the circumstances that we get our nickers in a bunch about what is happening in our lives. It’s mostly about out preconceived expectations, and whether we have decided if God is or is not meeting them. It’s a theological problem. Each time it asks, “What do you REALLY believe about God and who he is?”
.-= Lisa Colón DeLay´s last blog ..4 Classes at Bellegrove United Methodist Church- Anneville =-.
Great comment Lisa to a great post. So much of this boils down to control and expectations. It’s so hard to let go of our circumstances and just trust God to give us what we need… Gosh. That really is hard.
I love the image of a dance. Both parties having a part and affecting each other… Thanks, Lisa!
Practicing Confidence and Faith as I enter 2011 on the Missions Team at my church while praying that my own life reflect my own Mission Statement that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Hugs, Sunny
May God open the path to Him in your missions endeavor. Special soft heart for you, Sunny, as we practice together in our own places.
My word for the year is Speaking Up, and it’s going to stretch me exactly in the bold and confident area. Today I have an appointment to speak up for help in my daughter’s schooling. It’s at 3, at the local public elementary school, and I’m scared! But I also hope. Yes, I’m somewhere between “this homeschooling is a failing project,” and “it’s what God called me to and he has provided every time, so let’s see his provision today!”
How timely this post.
Walk in faith together!
and, pray for me?
.-= Beth Werner Lee´s last blog ..update 1-1-11 =-.
Oh, leading our children definitely takes confidence. I hope it goes well… in you this afternoon, Beth!
This tea drinker is new to your shop, but can see this will be a place to stop by frequently. Your words today are some of my own thoughts over the last couple years. Learning to break out of preparing for what may happen to moving forward into it–going actively, joyfully, confidently toward the “next” God has ahead for Us.
Deep peace and blessings as you walk with Jesus today–
Robin
Welcome, Robin! Love hearing that door swing open, bell on the handle ringing and meeting you here!
Ok I have to ask, Where do you find the root word meaning in Hebrew. I just love hearing about that.
Jamming soon! :o)
.-= Leanna´s last blog ..Im pretty sure I dont like =-.
I’d be so HAPPY to share, Leanna!
Here’s how I do it:
1) Look up the verse using Biblestudytools.com. Just type in the verse into the “Search” box.
2) Read the verse in a few versions: NIV (New International Version), The Message & NAS (New American Standard)
3) Select the NAS version to do my “deep digging” of root words.
4) Click the “Strong’s Numbers” checkbox (This highlights the words that you can look out the root word! The fun begins! :))
5) Click on any highlighted word to read about the root word! The root words are automatically given in Hebrew (for Old Testament) or Greek (in New Testament).
6) Example. Here is what my Jeremiah 17:7 verse looks like with highlighted words. Click “trust” (the first one in the verse) & it will spit back the Hebrew word “batach” with the definition.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/nas/jeremiah/17-7.html
[ By the way, NIV uses the word “confidence” instead of “trust”. Which is one of meanings provided in the root word. ]
Look up your verse and find the root word for you special One Word! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you find out! 🙂
This challenges me to be more God-confident and less self-confident. 🙂 Great thoughts, Bonnie!
.-= Melissa Brotherton´s last blog ..Express yourself =-.
Thanks, Melissa!
That is a profound and timeless truth, Bonnie. If all we do is solve problems or even let God solve them, we settle for something less because He wants us to KNOW Him. Psalm 103:7 says that Israel knew the acts of God (problem solving), but Moses knew the ways of God (intimacy and friendship). I think it’s scary that we can have one without the other, but how rich and full our lives would be if we choose intimacy over and over! So good–thank you, friend!
.-= jasonS´s last blog ..My Confidence Killer =-.
Jason. This is good. I just scribbled the Ps.103:7 ref. down. I’m gonna go back to read this. Thank you, brother.
“But my faith was limited by my fears of reality.” This sums up my life. Always fearful something was going to happen or what others thought. As my mom spent many days of my ages 11-13 in the hospital I began looking for the worst to happen. Being the pefectionist I was I always feared not pleasing everyone. Only now in my thirties am I learning to let go of that fear.
Thank you as always Bonnie for sharing your amazing words with us.
.-= Amy Nabors´s last blog ..He Will =-.
Wow. Amy. I did not know. Yeah, things that happen in our childhood do make deep impressions. God knows this too. He is faithful.
This posting today reflect the very motto of my life…”do it scared.”
I have learned that sometimes, I am just going to be afraid. My humanity is not departed from me just because I am a firm, faith-believing Christian. I will experience moments of fear…but more times than anything, that fear crops up simply because this world (and the enemy himself) don’t want me going for the things that are risky. Why? Because, on the other side of risks – are God’s glorious blessings that we have no sight of until we just step into faith (even if it is sometimes done scared). And the greater the fear I feel in my life lately, the more I know the direction I need to go – toward Him (into the fire, into the risk, and just put confidence in Him that I will see His blessings on the other side).
It is terrifying, but it is purifying. Fear can be great tool if utilized in the manner of seeing life as a furnace…and God is simply using things that present themselves as “risks to hurt us” to burn away the impurities so He can come about even greater in, and through, our lives for Him, His glory, and sharing our lessons about Him with others.
.-= Marni´s last blog ..Whose Habits Are You Wearing =-.
You’re a deep thinker, Marni. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
[…] Today’s post is part of Bonnie Gray’s Faith Jam, answering the question: How is God calling you to be more confident and bold? To read more posts or share your own, visit her site. […]
Bonnie, this statement just blesses me: “I’m discovering God’s best isn’t found in an outcome, it is found in me.”
We’ve spent 14 years in this small town where we planted a church. In 14 years, we’ve seen more than 2/3 of the people who have come to our church, been saved or healed or rededicated their lives to the Lord, pack up and move away. Not just to other churches in town, mind you, but to other states! The journey has been difficult, to say the least. But maybe I should be thinking of it not in terms of the outcome, or the state of the church, but in terms of the “state of me.” What has God done in ME in the last 14 years? Thanks, you’ve got me thinking!
Hi Niki! How neat it is to connect with you. You are definitely doing some hard work, most of it invisible, yet demanding externally. God is faithful. He sees every unseen heart ache and it is ALL counting in His eyes.
“What has God done in ME in the last 14 years? ” Awesome insight. You are His heart’s hope and His greatest work: you.
“But my faith was limited by my fears of reality.” Exactly. That’s my struggle in my year of “Believe.” Too often, I look around at the reality of my situation. I’m quite sure that I’d have been on of the Israelites staring out at the Red Sea saying, “Nope. That’s it. We’re doomed.” My post today is about looking back on God’s good and faithful providence and trying to teach myself to remember that God is not limited by reality (or at least the sliver of reality I can see). God invented reality, and He is actively at work orchestrating all things for my good and His glory. Not sure I’m at the point of boldness and confidence…yet. Baby steps. Baby steps.
.-= Nancy´s last blog ..Its a Providential Life =-.
Baby steps are the only way to go. Totally with you on this one, Nancy!
Oh, how I lvoe that God is speaking to you through Jeremiah! He’s been using Jeremiah these past couple of weeks to stretch me. How I pray for even a tad of Jeremiah’s faith and confidence in God!
Then, crazily enough, I didn’t even use Jeremiah in my post today. But I was thinking about him while I wrote it!
Enjoy! http://onestitchmuchlove.com
oops…you need those w’s. http://www.onestitchmuchlove.com
Thank you, Rachel! You too on Jeremiah, huh? Scrumptious passages. And challenging.
Thanks for sharing Bonnie – it was just what i needed to hear TODAY.
You’re a blessing…
marina
.-= marina bromley´s last blog ..Great is Thy Faithfulness =-.
What an encouragement, Marina! Thank you!
It seems when I think the absolute worst in a situation, it never turns out that way, but I end up growing my stress over the worst case scenario.
On the other hand, remember when Joseph (think the many colored coat) was given a vision of a plague and drought coming Egypt’s way and how they prepared for it. Maybe the message in that story IS to prepare for the lean times as well as the good times.
.-= Nikole Hahn´s last blog ..Looking Forward =-.
For sure, we want to be wise!
I make plans but don’t set my mind on the result ending the way they are planned. More often than not, they won’t so if I get a mind set about something, I usually get disappointed.
I also have a schedule but try to be flexible. The key word here is “try”. I am still working on it.
I save $$ for a rainy day and I also have food storage. Boy give me some peace of mind.
Sunny
Totally agree, Sunny. We want to be wise. And being flexible would be awesome!
I love the bit about us as His workmanship being connected with the word “poiema”. I had heard that once before at a conference, that we are God’s poem. I love it.
A poem is something crafted in love, with much care and attention paid to every detail. It is something designed to woo and inspire. Good poems don’t use empty words, but they exploit the fullness of meaning from the important words.
If God cares so much to pour all of that into the creation of us, surely we could allow ourselves to be read.
For even on those days we do not feel like His art, we can walk in confidence knowing that His truth is not dependent on our feelings or changed by our fears. He is the one with pen in hand. We can trust that.
Thanks for sharing this trust journey with us 🙂
.-= Dunlizzie´s last blog ..Moving in Confidence =-.
” surely we could allow ourselves to be read.” That would be bliss… allowing this with freedom! 🙂 What a writer you are, Dunlizzie!
[…] am joining up again on the faith jam over at Faith Barista. Don’t forget to go check out Bonnie’s site she is so […]
Love how you turned that around to:
“What if I planned for God’s best and let Him worry about the worst?”
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[…] Do You Plan For The Worst And Hope For The Best? by Bonnie Gray (Faith Barista). This another powerhouse post that you just need to read. You should also go and check out the other posts connected to this Faith Jam. […]
Hey, Bonnie! I just love your perspectives… “I started using my faith in God to solve problems, instead of experiencing life as He meant for me.” Definitely something to think about!
The artwork is “beautiful”, and thank you for your nice reply to my post last thursday. You made me feel special. My one word for this year was/is COURAGE. Courage to be confident in the Lord. This past week has been a very trying one – my nephew, 28 passed away, and my brother, 51 just went through a triple bipass surgery, and is still in the hospital 11 days after, because he is having strokes. All throughout, however, I have been able to see Gods hand in it all – signs that He is taking care of these 2 people in His own special way. Miracles, would be the word, I guess. So, yes, COURAGE is turning out to be the perfect word for me so far. Thank you for all you do, Bonnie.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..January 2011 =-.
I added my link in late Bonnie! Thanks for this!
.-= Katie´s last blog ..Trusting Gods Best =-.
Okay, that’s so God and uncanny. My confidence post today is about Joy…LOL. That’s very cool. Next weeks subject can totally expand that. More growth, more faith, more of God’s love and joy. Thank You Bonnie 😀
Let Him take care of the worst – Amen!
We are His masterpieces. Woohoo!!!
.-= Jeri @godsdreamsforme´s last blog ..She Can Laugh Now =-.
“What if I planned for God’s best and let Him worry about the worst?”
And this is the attitude I need to take!
.-= Amy Sullivan´s last blog ..A Meal in the Mail Yum- Yum =-.
Hi Bonnie,
I’m joining in on the fun! I love your soul resolutions.
thanks for the encouragement and reminder that we are God’s workmanship.
I often find myself wanting to do what I think is best and then trying to convince God to work with me! how silly of me to try and fit God into a matchbox!
I did my post and joined the community.
.-= Kari´s last blog ..beginning of the week =-.
I feel so late on this! Bonnie, I feel like I live like this, which is NOT encouraging at all, in fact, it’s a little ridiculous, I’m trying to make steps toward the object(s) of faith that frankly, are going to leave me kinda…. excessively…. vulnerable.
God says He honors that kind of faith though, right?
Also, I was working on a piece about prophecy and was examining that same chapter in in Jeremiah you mentioned! IT’S A SIGN!! … at least it’s a fun coincidence, right?
Hope you’re well, friend!!
.-= jake´s last blog ..Huge Church Lostish Souls =-.
[…] hope in God’s poetic work kept me humble enough to try it and the Holy Spirit obviously has been interceding for me. Because […]
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