One Way to Live With Confidence

I stood guard at the door on high alert.

With hundreds of women gathered inside I knew exactly what I had to do. The peace of the room rested in my hands. And my hands rested securely on the door handle.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, better open this door and be all loud about it.

I recently attended a conference where God gave me the privilege to serve on staff. (Shout out to all my She Speaks gals!) One of my assignments during the weekend involved playing hostess during a workshop.

My list of responsibilities included prepping the room for the workshop, assisting the speaker when she arrived and keeping the room distraction-free. Due to appointments and other things, women often entered and exited the room while the speaker delivered her message.

That’s where I came in.

I arrived at the workshop several minutes early. I paced up and down the isle looking for chairs out of line or empty cups forgotten on the floor. I checked my list twice, or maybe three times, while my heart beat increased. Did I remember everything?

When it appeared all things were in order, I took my post at the door. Game time.

A sense of ownership enveloped me.

I surveyed the space between the four walls assigned to me. I made mental notes of the empty seats, so I could direct my late-comers that way. Then I tuned my ear to the slightest touch of the door.

The room became my room. My space to care for, my assignment to carry out.

And confidence followed ownership.

I can only imagine it looked like the “Godly swagger” my friend Lisa talks about. But in that moment of deep commitment and confidence, I wondered about how many other assignments I’d failed to own. God-given responsibilities I’d questioned instead of conquered.

And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.” Numbers 33:53 (ESV)

In this verse, God’s people find themselves on the edge of the land God gave them. A gift straight from His heart to theirs. A special place set aside just for the Israelites. But isn’t it interesting that they still had to “take possession” of it?

Oh the times I’ve failed to own the gifts and responsibilities God gives me. I wonder and question and doubt myself to defeat, convinced I can’t. And I think the Israelites know what I’m talking about. Forty years before this moment, all but two men looked at their God-given land and said,

We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” Numbers 13:31 (NLT)

And all of those who said “we can’t” lost the opportunity to possess the land.

Let’s get one thing straight. The Bible is clear about what we can and cannot do.

Apart from God we can do nothing, but with God nothing is impossible.

Let’s stop forfeiting God’s gifts and special assignments on account of our uncertainty. Today, let’s ask God to define our boundaries. Show us our space. The space set aside for us to possess, to care for, to own. Then let’s walk confidently in the promise that Jesus’ power is made perfect in our weakness.