I love Australian people. I love them for many reasons, but mostly for my personal positive experience with them. Overall they are people who work when it’s time to work and they do it with excellence. But they also know how to play, rest and holiday. They are friendly and kind (at least in my experience). They are very good at many things. But what may be my most favorite thing is that they are super good, I mean really good, but they don’t really care. Oh they know they’re good, but they aren’t cocky about it. They don’t think too highly of themselves and this I find beautiful. I guess they seem to be confident in the classiest of ways.

Be confident in the classiest of ways.

Many years ago I traveled to Australia and spent nearly 3 weeks there, 21 days to be exact. We travelled through the city of Sydney and the coastline and countryside as well. Nothing cooler than watching a paddy full of kangaroo early in the morning. We stayed in hotels and we lived with a family. I met a lot of people and they all seemed to fit this description in one way or another. My heart made a home in Australia, I suspect I will one day go there again.

“For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” Proverbs 3:26

Confidence is a funny thing. We are supposed to have it, but what makes confidence cross the line into pride? I don’t have the answer, but here’s what I know. When our heart settles in to the belief that we can and are able to do amazing things, yet are also confident that it was only because of God we are able in the first place, then we are in a place of rest and excellence at the same time. We aren’t in competition with others. We can be happy for our brothers. We can celebrate together and we can overlook offenses. Because honestly, at the end of the day, relationships are of more value than anything else anyway.

So, I’d like to be like the Australians...
Fully knowing God hard wired me with a myriad of gifts, talents, abilities and topped it off with even more endurance, stamina and grit. I know that I know I can run my race of faith hard and I can plow deep as I carry people with me. And I can tell you story after story about how God equipped me and groomed me to do so. But at the end of the day, who cares about any of it? It’s all there to accomplish what we must for God. He has a hand designed assignment for each of us. We don’t get to choose our spiritual gifts or our talents and abilities. God decided. So be content with what He gave you and quit worrying it will be taken from you. It’s yours, God gave it to you! Desiring the ability of others will cause you to miss out on the partnership of unity. You will in turn lose your peace and forfeit your rest. Peace and Rest are the best. I won’t be giving either up anytime soon.

So how about you? If you lack self confidence drive deeper into the chest of Heaven. He can take it. He will grab hold and shake off all your personal unbelief.

If there is too much confidence there—sometimes that is only camouflage for insecurity. Ask God to show you how your confidence spectrum looks. Sincerely—

getting better means we must measure ourselves against Him.

Heaven has an assignment for you and the rest of us need you to fulfill it. Our assignment is tied to yours, yours to mine and so on and so on in the Body of Christ. We are, indeed, all connected. Like it or not. So let us all work harder on ourselves than anyone else. Let’s keep our eyes on our own page and write away the plans and purposes God has for us personally. You do your thing and I can do mine. We are a collective and united Body, but we are individuals as well and we are called to partner together.

Travel, Beloved, into the Heart of the Holy Spirit. There is no love like His. My last post compared a lack of trust in people becoming an intimate journey of complete trust in God. There is a process of restoration that only the Holy Spirit can do. Trusting others can be hard, begin by trusting God and He will help you trust others. Begin today, because  the rest of us need you. ~Nicole

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16