A song we sing at Legacy declares: “In all my weaknesses, You are my confidence.”

Confidence.

It’s something everyone wants, but finds it difficult to achieve: a confidence that permeates every situation.

Everything in our lives is constantly moving… changing. There are so many times in life when it seems like you just want something stable, something fixed, something immovable on which you can rely. People fail. Your job fails, your church fails, your friends fail, your spouse fails, your parents fail, your children fail… and you grasp for something that will never fail… and find that the only thing is God and His love for you.

It is the only thing that is absolute: God’s love.

Too often though, we think of God as only a judge… a judge who’s standards are set. If we fail to live up to those standards, we are condemned. But, this is not the God we see in how He has revealed Himself to us throughout history. We see a God who is willing to break the rules, bend to man’s desire, and step into our reality in order to demonstrate His desire to be in relationship with us and dwell among us.

We see this demonstrated over and over in Scripture. God sets up a law or boundaries for man, man fails… and God adjusts and meets His creation despite the failure. He never says “You get back to doing what I told you and we’ll talk again.” He remains faithful and leads His people back into a relationship with Him. Even God’s punishment always exists to restore and reconcile us back to Him. This is the story of Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, David, Peter, James, John, Paul… and it’s our story too.

When you read Scripture and realize there is no law of God, no rule by which to live, and no religious practice that limits God’s already demonstrated love for you, it’s freeing… it is one thing  on which you can rely that is secure.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39

What is included in this verse? Everything. Just in case Paul didn’t specifically mention an item, he uses the all-encompassing phrase “anything else in all creation.” What is not a created thing other than God? Nothing.

Once you come to the realization of how temporary everything is compared to the eternal love of God, then everything else begins to fade away. Other things matter a lot less, what our circumstances are seem small… what other people do or say to you or about you… it’s small. They’re small in the context of God and eternity. So, who cares? Just love them anyway and don’t worry about it. There is no need to defend yourself against the things that other people say, because it just doesn’t really matter that much. It creates a quiet confidence in every situation.

When you fully focus on God, there comes a point when you begin to rest on the fact that everything else is not fixed. Only Him. You realize that you are His plan. You realize that this eternal being, who is unchanging in His love for us can overcome anything…

That is the point when you can truly live confidently in a world that is changing.

I don’t find my confidence in the opinion of others, my status, my image, my career, my attire, or even my own success… I find confidence in knowing that my Creator, who is in control, has a love for me that He will not allow to be overcome.