Initiative and confidence can escape us when we need them most. It happens all the time right? We say, “It’ll totally be a blast, I mean, performances? I’ve got this down pact.” Then we get up onto the stage and our palms start to sweat. The crowd doubles in size and your heart leaps into your throat. You just wish you could sink through the floor and disappear.
Confidence seems to be such a fair-weather friend
And its true right? It never sticks around for long. Or, so we think. What if confidence isn’t what we think it is? There’s an awesome quote that I’m sure you have all heard of, it goes something like this:
Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the ability to face it
I think this helps us get a better perspective on confidence. When you are up on that stage, of course you may get the jitters, that’s normal. Confidence is the ability to ignore your sweaty palms and continue with what you started. When you learn how to continue, move on, and face your fears, all of a sudden there are so many more opportunities for you to pursue.
Just one year ago today, a group of friends sat down and decided to change lives
I say lives, because they didn’t just plan to change other people’s lives, but also their own. These four friends met at the top of a stairwell during a youth conference and brewed up something bigger than even they imagined at first. I was one of those four girls. Veronica, Emily, Iliana, and I are all good friends from school and had gone to Acquire the Fire together.
The people at the conference were encouraging us to change lives. So, what started as an idea between friends, became a reality that will soon impact us, and many others.
Stepping out of our comfort zones, and into the Dominican Republic, we are off to help others
I’ll be honest. At first I was a little hesitant about this idea. It was way out of my comfort zone to try and organize a missions team to go all the way to the Dominican. Thoughts were running through my head like, “How can we possibly make this happen? How on earth can four teens organize a missions trip, and actually have it work out?” These were valid questions, and I soon got answers.
We started the planning, and surprisingly enough, it looked like it actually might work! We had stepped out of our comfort zones and made an effort, and God helped to make it possible. On this Thursday, we will get on a plane for the Dominican.
This trip is living testimony that anything can be achieved:
1. With a little confidence
It takes confidence to get things going. Step out of your comfort zone and just do it! Chances are that you will regret what you didn’t do, more than what you did.
2. Help from “Up above”
I love the movie “Facing the Giants” because of an awesome message in it. A man tells the main character that we must prepare our fields, in faith that it will rain so that the crops will grow. After that, we just have to trust that God will do the rest. Trust, so hard, yet so rewarding. But that is a topic for another day.
I am so excited to see what God will do with us on this trip, and how lives will be changed.
Remember, confidence is what gets things started. A person who never faces any fear, never tries anything new.
Hope you enjoyed,
Lara