Confidence: the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust; the state of feeling certain about the truth of something; a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.

What's your confidence level? Do you feel inadequate with your work, your looks, your life? What if someone you admired said that he liked your style? Or she thought you looked great? He thought you were wonderful?

Would you believe her? Would you think he was just telling you tales in order to get something from you?

There are times when I am just frustrated by myself. I feel discouraged. I lack any confidence. I feel that everyone else is more successful, more attractive, demonstrates better interpersonal skills, communicates better, funnier, etc. ,… (fill in the blank).

I look at those who have confidence or at least exude confidence whether they feel it or not. Whatever they do, others follow or are in awe of their accomplishments, decisions, actions, even clothing. How does that happen? If you take the components apart, they are not that interesting nor their decisions that great but it is almost as if their persona is more important than the substance. They have an aura of self assurance.

When I feel low, if that confident person gave me their “seal of approval”, I would be floating on cloud nine. I would walk around with my head up high, internally knowing that so and so thought I was something.

The thing is, as a Christ follower and child of God, I can have that confidence. I can have the assurance of the truth that God, the ultimate confident creator of all things and of me, thinks I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He intimately knows me and all that I am- my faults, my failures, and my fears. Yet He still loves me and sees my potential, the being that He created me to be.

If only I would remember that. I would walk with confidence.

Now confidence does not mean arrogance. I am sure that you can recall plenty of overly confident people who seemed down right arrogant. Arrogance is really a disguise for lack of confidence and is a coverup of feelings of inadequacy. The arrogant person is being deceitful- If I come across as knowing everything then you might not be able to see that is not the reality.

I do not need to be arrogant because just as I am fearfully and wonderfully made, so are you. That is the beauty of God. We are all on the same level. No one is more important than another. He loves and made each one of us on a similar plane. When I feel loved by God I can relax and carry on with what I am supposed to do. I don't need to play the comparison game, that "so and so is better at...(fill in the blank) than I."

What about you? How is your confidence level? Do you struggle with low self-esteem? Do you play the comparison game with others? Do you feel self-assured? Do you believe that God loves you, just as you are?

When I start feeling that my confidence level is dropping, I need to remember the truth that I can rely on God and His love for me. When I know that I have His seal of approval, all doubts, fears and comparisons can fall away. I can be one of those people who elude true confidence because my confidence isn't through me and my accomplishments but in the One who made me.