Confident humility or insecure pride?
Think about that for a minute. I have been for the past three weeks.
One of our first assignments in my leadership time was to choose one of the gospels, read it, choose a leadership characteristic that Jesus exhibited and give a presentation on it. I chose to read from Luke. The characteristic that came up as I read was confidence. I’ll give you the short version.
Jesus knew he was the Son of God. He knew the purpose he had been sent here to earth to fulfil. He was publically walking that out at about age 13 when his parents left him at the temple. God declared that Jesus was his Son. He knew his identity, and purpose as given to him by his Father. He walked in authority. He obeyed God. He was able to confidently walk out that purpose and humbled himself to death on the cross. He died on the cross for the sins of the world.
Jesus would have needed to be REALLY confident to allow himself to die on the cross.
As I was putting all of this together I started to wonder what the difference between confidence and pride were. I started doing some searching.
Here are two quotes that I found:
- Insecure pride comes from trying to form my identity and calling in me and by me. Humble confidence comes from forming my identity and calling outside of myselfin Christ.
- A confident leader finds their identity in Christ, seeing themselves as a child of God, deeply loved and called to His mission.
When I act out of insecurities I start to compare my life to other people, I get jealous at the gifts they have that I don’t. I am no longer content with where the Lord has placed me. I feel a need to prove that I can do just as well as everyone else at everything. I try to take control of situations and take care of things on my own. I get worried that people will know I am not perfect, and sometimes a mess.
My confidence doesn’t come from me. My confidence comes from the things that God says about me that don’t change, ever. It comes from knowing who God made me, Erika Michael to be and not wishing to be someone different. My confidence comes from humbling myself to do what God is calling me to. I know He is with me, I know He will never leave me. So I can walk confidently in the direction He leads, humbly submitting myself to His authority.
“I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom, but I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.”
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