“For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.”
– Proverbs 3:26
As I have already said, I am not a very confident person. I hate confronting people and sometimes I look back on previous conversations and wonder if I maybe said the wrong thing. You’re probably chuckling to yourself about this but it’s all true. When I applied to work at camp I was worried (a bit) about how I would be able to do it. What if I said something wrong to the kids and they hated Christianity forever because of me? As staff training progressed, this concern grew. I became nervous when I shared my testimony and when I practiced witnessing to a fellow staff member I felt even more frightened, I didn’t think I could do it. I began to look up verses in the Bible about confidence and put them in my jumping versebook, including Proverbs 3:26. This not only encouraged me but I later learned that it also encouraged the person sitting next to me! Three days before the first campers arrived, I prayed this prayer: “Dear God, please give me your strength and your courage and your confidence because I know mine isn’t good enough. Please help me not to be afraid to represent you or to protect these children from whatever danger may come their way and please help me to glorify you in whatever I do.” Now you are probably wondering if this prayer was answered. Did God give me his strength? Yes, I did more walking in those eight weeks then I had done in a year! I washed more dishes, cleaned more floors and encouraged more people than I ever thought possible! Did God give me his courage? Yes, I made friends, I repelled off a 150 foot cliff, and I challenged myself both physically and spiritually. Did God give me his confidence? Absolutely! There were so many things I wouldn’t have been able to do without God’s help! I definitely did not do this without him. I lead three devotions with the campers, did the motions for worship music and discovered a spiritual gift that up until then I didn’t even realize I had. God can really use you and give you his confidence, the important thing is to ask him!
Thats so awesome Emma!! whats a Jumping Versebook? sounds very interesting.... Well I pray that you will continue to have God's strength and confidence! I have a hard time getting out my comfort zone, and talking to people, starting up a conversation.... but the more we do it, the easier it will get!! good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks! A Jumping Versebook is a small notebook that I keep in my Bible to write down all the verses that jump out at me during church, Bible studies, and concordance searches. I also have a section where I keep verses I find that show the Gospel message. I prefer not to highlight in my Bible and I usually remember the verses better if I write them down. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I might get a jumping versebook of my own! By the way, that was an awesome verse! It's going in my list of favorites! Thanks for sharing that wonderful story!
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