Confidence in?. . .
In my small group a while back, we got to taking about how each of us, within our different sports willingly put ourselves in situations where serious injury or death are not far-off possibilities. For some of us, that looks like paddling out into waves that would certainly overcome the average human, for me its dropping in to backcountry lines on my snowboard that I’m not 100% certain aren’t going to slide beneath me.
But, why?! Why do we so willingly put ourselves in these situations? Is there something wrong with us?
My friend Jack communicated that early on in his faith, being at the mercy of such powerful creation brought him to truly believe in God, and fueled his desire to find salvation in Him. In a similar way, I can recount several times I’ve asked God for forgiveness, to search my heart before dropping in because the thought occurs to me that this run actually could be my last.
When I try to process this seemingly reckless mindset that we all have, I’m conflicted by these questions:
Do we do it because we are confident that we are in control within our elements? Or do we do it because we are confident that God is in control?
On the surface, these are extremely different things. Confidence in our ability to control everything, and outcomes of our actions is quite the opposite of faith in Jesus Christ. Self dependence is a trap that only leads to defeat. The Apostle Paul never said that “I can do all things through myself who gives me strength”... He said “I can do all things through CHRIST, who gives me strength”.
Confidence in God is what we are called to as believers. He is the one who makes a way when we feel stuck, the lion who stands between us and our enemy, the shepherd who guides us home. These are statements that I, as a believer in Jesus Christ have complete confidence in because I have seen His faithfulness time and time again.
To be honest, I think the two items of confidence in our ability, and confidence in God coincide when it comes to the risky moments within our sports. We put in countless hours of work and training to prepare our bodies to be capable of the terrain ahead of us. Whether it be waves, dirt or snow. Those hours don’t come out of a place of dreaded labor though. They come out of a place of true passion and desire to make art on the canvas that God has provided. Now pair that confidence with complete confidence and trust in God, and you’re unstoppable.
So how does this translate over to our faith? To real life? Not to say dropping in on big waves and backcountry pow lines isn’t real life! But the tough stuff, the things we wrestle with, our relationship with God, discerning direction. I kind of got to thinking that I might tend to over-spiritualize my runs on a snowboard, or my friends experiences in the ocean. At the same time though, our stories brought me to this realization today that confidence in who God has made you to be, and confidence in who God is, is a dynamic duo that without a doubt changes the game. It changes our relationships, our encounters with strangers, our ability to endure hardship - because we’ve put in the hours to arrive at a place of knowing ourselves as well as our Heavenly Father.
It’s humbling to meet with men every Wednesday morning that have embraced those truths, and to see the fruit in their lives as a result. They’ve looked directly in the eye of the risky routes of life, and charged towards them with confidence. My friend Nick for example, has been able to start a nonprofit from the ground up that transforms the lives of groms from all over Santa Cruz. Not just an ordinary nonprofit, but one that is so counter-cultural to the way many Christians traditionally think they need to be doing outreach for youth. As a result, so many students are experiencing Jesus and the Church in such real ways. I also admire my friend Elias for his risk taking. He started his own business at such a young age, and has been wildly successful. Again, no ordinary business - one that has a vision and purpose that is unique to itself. As a result of charging towards the risk, countless relationships have been formed within the community that are filled with purpose. I also think of my friend Jack, someone that has come to faith in Jesus not too long ago. But already is making huge impacts for the Kingdom, embracing his identity and his purpose and running with it in a way that inspires so many.
I don’t bring up these points to just brag about how insanely rad and successful my friends are. I bring them up to recognize that these men are risk takers at heart. Which is what I truly believe we are called to be as Christians!
Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 says:
“He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.”
If you wait for the absolute perfect moment to take action on all fronts of life, you will be immobile, you will experience emptiness, and you will miss opportunities. The perfect moment doesn’t exist - but a perfect God does. When we move forward in our lives, especially into uncertainty, it often seems risky and hard to understand. As long as we seek God and His guidance as we move forward, we get to hold onto that confidence that He is in control. The confidence that we should have in ourselves is that we know we have put in the work to know who God is, and who He says we are which empowers us to live accordingly in a way that pleases and honors God. It means the posture of our heart, mind and soul is in a place of total acceptance that we are at the mercy of His will.
When Jesus called Peter out of the boat a couple key things happened - Jesus called him towards something that was without a doubt risky. Peter acted in obedience and trust, and Jesus followed through with His word. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. When he called upon the Lord, Jesus took his hand and brought him through the rest of the way.
Peter had enough confidence in Jesus, and enough confidence in his identity as a beloved son of God, to move directly towards risk.
What risky things is God calling you to lately? Do you have the confidence to move forward despite the risk?
Jeremiah 17:7
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.”